Physicians group urges leaders to press Qatar, Egypt for proof medicines reached hostages in Gaza

The Organization of State-Employed Physicians in Israel sends a letter to the prime minister and war cabinet calling on them to press Qatar and Egypt for proof that the medications for the Israeli hostages that reportedly entered Gaza have indeed reached them.

The letter demands that the war cabinet “act with determination and immediately in dealing with the Egyptian and Qatari intermediaries… to ascertain that each hostage gets the medications and medical treatment that they need.”

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.

Since then, there has been no public confirmation that the medicines reached the hostages. Inquiries by The Times of Israel with the Prime Minister’s Office, the Foreign Ministry, the IDF, COGAT and the medical and resilience team of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum have yielded either no information or no comment.

The letter, signed by Organization of State-Employed Physicians chair Dr. Zeev Feldman, lists the chronic and life-threatening illnesses that many of the remaining hostages suffer from and emphasizes how critical it is for them to receive their medicines. Feldman also mentions that some released hostages have suffered complications like strokes and heart problems due to the horrific conditions in which they were held.

“As doctors, we know and worry that if the medications are not delivered, very soon there will not be anyone left to save. Medications and critical care are not a matter of quality of life. They are an absolute requirement to preserve and save the life of many of the hostages,” Feldman writes.