Qatar announces successful deal to bring medicines to hostages in Gaza

Qatar, which helped negotiate the previous hostage exchange in November, announced on Tuesday that it had successfully brokered a deal to bring medications to hostages in Gaza in exchange for increased humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. 

A statement from the Qatari Foreign Ministry said the “medicine, along with other humanitarian aid, is to be delivered to civilians in Gaza Strip in the most affected and vulnerable areas, in exchange for delivering medication needed for Israeli captives in Gaza.” 

The medicines were reportedly purchased in France according to a list compiled by Israel based on the hostages' needs. 

Planes carrying the medication left Doha, Qatar, on Wednesday and, according to Arab media, arrived in Egypt late Wednesday morning. It is unclear when the medicines will reach the Gaza Strip, as they first have to pass through the Rafah border crossing, which has seen repeated delays in processing humanitarian aid trucks. 

According to the deal, the Qatari team will observe the medications until their transfer to the Gaza Ministry of Health. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed the deal, saying: “The medicines will be forwarded by Qatari representatives in the Gaza Strip to their final destination.” 

The Prime Minister's office also said that Netanyahu “conveys his appreciation to all those who have assisted in the endeavor.” 

Philippe Lalliot, a diplomat in charge of the French Foreign Ministry's Crisis and Support Center, said that French President Emmanuel Macron ordered him to purchase the medications for the hostages and send via diplomatic pouch to Qatar. 

As part of the deal, Qatar reportedly purchased medications needed by civilians in Gaza, which will transported together with the medicines for the Israeli hostages. 

The Gaza Ministry of Health, which is run by Hamas, is in charge of distributing the medicines to the hostages and to the hospitals in the Gaza Strip. 

Hagai Levine, head of the medical team for the Hostage and Missing Families forum, said: “We welcome all efforts to transfer medicine to the hostages, but their lives are at risk and they need to be released immediately.” 

He also said it is important to receive visual proof that the hostages receive the correct medications. 

The United Nations has repeatedly complained of a lack of medications for the hospitals in Gaza due to the conflict. Israel has been allowing trucks with medications to enter through the Kerem Shalom border crossing to help address the situation, but UN officials said the amount is insufficient.