Qatar’s Foreign Ministry says Hamas has begun delivering medications to captives in Gaza.
Medicines sent into Gaza under a deal mediated by Qatar and France have reached captives held in Gaza, Doha said on Tuesday.
The Gulf state’s foreign ministry spokesman said Qatar had “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”.
A shipment of humanitarian aid and medicines for civilians was allowed into the Gaza Strip “in exchange for delivering the medicines needed by hostages”, said Majed Al-Ansari in a statement to the official Qatar News Agency (QNA).
The Gaza Ministry of Health reports that since October 7, Israel’s indiscriminate attacks have killed at least 29,195 Palestinians – mostly women and children, and more than 69,170 people were injured.
Medics on the frontline are battling the immense strain of the humanitarian crises, facing critical shortages of blood products, medicines and clean water – among other necessities which have been embargoed by the occupier.
The United Nations’ humanitarian office (UN OCHA) also warned in a flash update that maternity hospitals are experiencing overcrowding.
Worse still, Israel has rendered 22 hospitals in the Strip dysfunctional. Only 11 hospitals remain in service, but only partially.
Successful Qatari-French mediation
The newly received humanitarian aid by Hamas in Gaza follows the announcement on January 16 by Al Ansari, that Qatar had successfully brokered an agreement between Hamas and Israel to send humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The deal saw the delivery of medical aid needed by captives in exchange for the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza’s worst-affected areas.
UN OCHA reported that the situation was especially dire in northern Gaza, where at least one in six children under the age of two assessed in the enclave’s shelters and health centres were found to be acutely malnourished.
This is a staggering trend compared to pre-October 7 child malnutrition levels, which once stood at 0.8 percent.
‘Unprecedented deterioration’
During his weekly press briefing on Tuesday, Al Ansari affirmed that Qatar’s mediatory efforts to stop the aggression in the Gaza Strip remain ongoing.
He added that the Qatari government was acutely aware of what the MoFA communique referred to as the “unprecedented deterioration of the humanitarian situation” in Gaza.
The MoFA spokesman said the situation in Rafah was especially worrying with at least 1.5 million internally displaced persons seeking refuge there.
Despite the large presence of refugees in Gaza’s southwestern governorate, Israel has threatened to storm Rafah in March during the holy month of Ramadan, unless Hamas releases the remaining captives being held in Gaza.
Al Ansari stressed that Qatar rejects such rhetoric and if actionable, a military invasion of the governorate will only worsen the humanitarian crisis.
The Qatari official added that during a session at the Munich Security Conference, the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, revealed that in previous weeks, there was progress in negotiations between Israel and Hamas. Recently, however, progress has stalled due to differing conditions from both parties.