From the Liveblog of
Sunday, February 4, 2024
3 weeks after medications sent to Gaza hostages, no confirmation they arrived
Renee Ghert-Zand is the health reporter and a feature writer for The Times of Israel.
Nearly three weeks after it was announced that medications would be transferred to hostages in Gaza, there is still no confirmation that this has happened.
An inquiry by The Times of Israel with the Prime Minister’s Office today yields no substantive response. In addition, a representative of the medical and resilience team of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum says it has no new information.
Following a deal brokered by Qatar and Egypt, Doha announced on January 16 that the delivery of the medications for the hostages would begin on January 17 in return for the concurrent transfer of large amounts of medical and humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza. A day later, it was reported that the International Committee of the Red Cross would not be involved in the deal and that Qatar would guarantee the delivery of medications.
As part of the deal, Israel demanded visual proof of delivery of the medications to each hostage.
Many of the hostages have chronic illnesses requiring daily medication and regular medical monitoring. Others were injured during their capture. The International Committee of the Red Cross has not visited any of the hostages to check on their condition and provide necessary medical treatment.
