Qatar has so far deployed 49 planes carrying 1,534 tonnes of aid.
Qatar evacuated the fourth batch of wounded Palestinians from Egypt’s El Arish on Saturday while dispatching 33 tonnes of vital aid for Gaza under its humanitarian efforts in light of Israel’s war on the besieged Strip, the Qatari foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
The Gulf state evacuated the wounded Palestinians to Doha where they will receive much-needed medical treatment as part of an initiative by Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to sponsor 3,000 orphans and treat 1,500 injured Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Qatari authorities have yet to announce the full number of those evacuated so far or the hospital where they are being treated.
Under the initiative, the Gulf State is supervising the transfer of the wounded in coordination with Egypt, in preparation for treatment in Doha.
Qatar has also been delivering vital aid to Gaza and has so far deployed 49 planes carrying 1,534 tonnes of aid.
“The aid is part of the State of Qatar’s full support to the brotherly Palestinian people subjected to difficult humanitarian conditions,” the Qatari foreign ministry said.
Qatar has been juggling multiple humanitarian and diplomatic fronts in its wider efforts to secure a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
On December 13, Qatar pledged $50 million at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva as an initial humanitarian aid package for Gaza.
Qatar had also pledged to provide 100 scholarships for Palestinians to continue their studies in Doha through the Education Above All Foundation’s (EAA) Al Fakhoora programme.
EAA established the Al Fakhoora programme in 2010 to honour the victims of prior Israeli bombardments of Gaza. Its name is inspired by the Al-Fakhoura school in Jabalia, which Israel attacked on November 18, killing an estimated 200 displaced Palestinians sheltering inside the facility.
Israel also destroyed the programme’s Al-Fakhoora House, an educational facility in the south of Gaza, on October 10.
On December 18, Sheikh Tamim donated QAR 100 million (around $27.5 million) to back the local “Palestine Duty” charity campaign. The campaign gathered a total of QAR 200,048,750 (around $55 million) in donations for Gaza.
On a diplomatic front, Qatar and Egypt mediated a temporary truce that began on November 24 and was renewed twice, ultimately ending on December 1 and lasting seven days.
The pause led to the release of at least 110 Israeli and foreign captives from Gaza, according to a Doha News tally. As part of the deal, Israel released 240 Palestinian women and children from Israeli prisons.
Israel said on December 2 that it had pulled out its negotiators from talks with Qatar, Egypt and the United States over a renewed pause, declaring an impasse in the negotiations.
Tel Aviv then appeared to backtrack on its decision on December 16 with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying he was still speaking to Qatar and Egypt “regarding negotiations to release the hostages.”
A source privy to the matter told Reuters on December 20 that “positive” talks took place in Poland between the relevant parties, including Qatar and the CIA, though no deal was imminent.
Qatar has yet to publicly comment on the reported meeting.
Israel and the U.S. have been rejecting all ceasefire attempts in Gaza as they both believe it would weaken their fight against Hamas while demanding the release of the remaining hostages.
The Palestinian group has refused to release the remaining captives unless Israel completely halts the war on Gaza.
U.S. President Joe Biden ruled out the possibility of a ceasefire on Saturday during his phone call with Netanyahu. A White House readout of a phone call between Biden and Netanyahu said the two “discussed Israel’s military campaign in Gaza to include its objectives and phasing.”
When asked about the phone call’s details by the press in Washington, Biden said he did not ask for a ceasefire during the call.
“I had a long talk with Netanyahu today. It was a private conversation,” he told reporters at the White House before heading to Camp David.
“I did not ask for a cease-fire,” he added.
The call came a day after the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution calling for increasing the entry of aid into Gaza.
The vote came following four delays to review its texts, leading to a watered down version that fell short of calling for a ceasefire in Gaza to satisfy Washington. The U.S. had used its veto power at the Security Council on December 8 to block a vote on a ceasefire resolution.
Israel has persisted in its genocide of Palestinians in Gaza for more than two months. A “preliminary toll” by Palestine’s health authorities on Saturday said that Israel has killed more than 20,258 Palestinians and wounded 53,688 others since October 7.
Euro-Med separately reported on December 23 that Israel killed at least 28,091 Palestinians, including 11,023 children. The figure is higher than the one reported by Gaza’s health authorities as it included victims believed to be under the rubble.
