Medicine and aid for Palestinians and the Israeli hostages entered the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, according to Dr. Majed Al-Ansari, a spokesperson for the Qatari foreign ministry.
“Over the past few hours, medicine & aid entered the Gaza Strip, in implementation of the agreement announced yesterday for the benefit of civilians in the Strip, including hostages. Qatar, along with its regional and international partners, continues mediation efforts at the political and humanitarian levels,” Al-Ansari wrote on X, formerly Twitter, late Wednesday.
Two Qatari Armed Forces aircraft carrying 61 tons of aid — including food and medicine —arrived in El Arish, Egypt, earlier Wednesday. The aid was provided by Qatar and France, according to Qatar’s Foreign Ministry. Ansari stated Wednesday Qatar and its regional and international partners are continuing mediation efforts at the political and humanitarian levels after the aid arrived in Gaza.
The aid arrives after Qatar announced on Tuesday it brokered a deal between Israel and Hamas to allow medication into Gaza for Palestinians and Israeli hostages. France also took part in helping with the Qatari-led mediation, Qatar’s foreign ministry has announced.
On Oct. 7, Hamas carried out an attack on Israeli settlements near Gaza, resulting in the death of 1,200 Israelis, injury to 5,500 and the capture of at least 240 hostages.
Hamas released around a half of its hostages during the week-long truce in November. According to the Israeli authorities, it currently holds 132 people, while 25 captives have been killed in the fighting. Israel estimates the presence of “137 hostages still held in the Gaza Strip”, according to media reports and statements from Israeli officials.
Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since the cross-border attack by Hamas. At least 24,285 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and 61,154 injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.
According to the UN, 85% of the population of Gaza is already internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure is damaged or destroyed.
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