WEB DESK
Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement to allow medicines to be delivered to Israeli captives held in the Gaza Strip and for aid to be transported to residents in the besieged Palestinian territory, announced Qatar.
Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement yesterday that the deal will see humanitarian aid delivered to civilians in Gaza in exchange for the delivery of medication to Israeli captives held by Hamas.
Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said medication and aid will leave Doha on Wednesday for the Egyptian city of El Arish in preparation for their delivery into the Gaza Strip. He said the agreement was mediated by Qatar in cooperation with France.
Earlier, Philippe Lalliot, head of France’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Crisis Centre, which organises aid efforts, said negotiations had been going on for weeks and the initial idea had come from the families of some of the Israeli captives. Specific medical packages, which were put together in France, would be delivered to each of the 45 captives. The International Committee of the Red Cross will coordinate on the ground.