The first shipment of medication from Qatar landed at the Al Arish airport in Egypt on Wednesday morning, according to Israeli media, citing Qatari news.
The medication was bought from France and will reportedly be sent to Egypt in two shipments to Egypt before being transferred to Gaza. The agreement states that proof must be provided to Israel that the medication did reach the hostages.
Kan News reported on Wednesday afternoon that some 60 tons of aid were on board two planes, but only half of that is medical aid.
Commenting on the deal, an Israeli official stated, “We hope that the drug deal will finally materialize and they will reach their destination. Qatar will guarantee the delivery of the drugs to the abductees. The success of the deal will create a good dynamic for achieving a deal to release the abductees.” The Israeli official did not reveal how they would know the drugs had reached the abductees.
The Prime Minister’s Office announced that the operation was launched “under the direction of Netanyahu and following the agreement of the head of the Mossad Barnea with Qatar.”
The office also highlighted that the list of medication was written up in Israel and in accordance with the medical needs of the abductees. In addition to the medication, humanitarian aid is expected to be sent to Gazans. The office pointed out that although the deal was launched under Netanyahu’s direction, his office was not responsible for the examination of the shipments and that would be carried by the IDF and security services.
Comments by a senior Hamas official
A senior Hamas official, Musa Abu Marzouk, made a comment about the agreement on his X account, saying, “The Red Cross submitted a request to provide medicine to Hamas prisoners of war, and there were 140 types of such medicine, so we set several conditions.”
Marzouk then details the conditions. The conditions include that in exchange for each package of medicine, a thousand packages must be provided for Gazans; The medicine must be provided by a trusted country; The Red Cross will distribute the medicines in four hospitals covering all areas in the Gaza Strip, including medicine for the hostages; Food and aid for the Gaza Strip must be increased; and the Israeli army must be prevented from inspecting the drug shipments.
Initially, France offered to supply the medication to the hostages, but Hamas refused because of France’s position of “supporting the Israeli occupation,” according to a Kan News report.
تقدّم الصليب الأحمر بطلب تقديم الدواء لأسرى الحرب عند حماس، وكانت 140 صنفًا، فوضعنا عدّة شروط:- مقابل كل علبة دواء، ألف لأبناء شعبنا.- توفير الدواء عبر دولة نثق فيها.- يضع الصليب الأحمر الدواء في أربع مستشفيات تغطي جميع مناطق قطاع غزة، -بما فيها أدوية الأسرى-.- إدخال مزيد من…
— د. موسى أبو مرزوق (@drmousamarzouq) January 17, 2024
Hamas requested Qatar to supply the drugs, and Qatar agreed, according to Marbouk, Kan News reported. Marzouk added that Hamas must be the one to determine the quantities, the middleman, the distribution mechanism, and the supply of medicines to the north of the Gaza Strip.
Des médicaments sont en cours d’acheminement vers les otages à Gaza.Je salue cette opération coordonnée avec le Qatar et initiée par David Sprecher et Hagai Levine du Forum des familles de disparus et otages. Merci au Centre de crise et de soutien pour son travail remarquable.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) January 17, 2024
US response to the deal
US envoy for humanitarian affairs David Satterfield expressed concern and frustration for the humanitarian situation in Gaza, asking the Israeli government to increase its aid, emphasizing a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, the Kan News report stated.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also requested to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza, claiming that this would permit the US to continue protecting and assisting Israel. The US aims to increase the number of trucks entering Gaza to 300 per day.
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