Qatar Says Hamas Will Deliver Medicines to the Hostages

By Hamodia Staff

Over one month after the medical shipment entered Gaza under an agreement brokered by Qatar on January 16, Hamas has notified Qatar that it is finally delivering medications to the Israeli hostages it is holding, according to a statement announced by the Qatari government in Doha.

This is over one month after they were delivered to Gaza in exchange for Israel allowing in additional humanitarian aid, and after unopened packages of medications with the names and photos of abductees were discovered recently in Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.

Many of the hostages, including a number of elderly men, suffer from chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, which makes the delivery of the medication essential.

“The State of Qatar has received confirmation from the Islamic Resistance Movement [Hamas] regarding the receipt of a shipment of medicines and the commencement of their delivery to beneficiaries among the hostages in the Gaza Strip, in implementation of an agreement between Hamas and Israel, mediated by Qatar in cooperation with France last month,” Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said a statement. He did not offer any explanation for the monthlong delay of the delivery, nor did he supply proof that this time the hostages had received the medications.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office released a statement on Tuesday evening which said, “The Qatari announcement is the direct result of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s insistence on receiving proof that the medicines have reached our hostages.

“Israel will evaluate the credibility of the report and continue to act for the well-being of our hostages.”