Qatar: Hamas confirmed it received meds for hostages, has started delivering them

Qatar has received confirmation from Hamas that the terror group has received the medications for the hostages in Gaza and that it has begun delivering them to the Israeli abductees, Doha’s foreign ministry spokesman says in a statement.

In mid-January, Qatar announced that it had successfully brokered an agreement between Israel and Hamas that would see medications delivered to specific hostages in need, as well as medical supplies for Gazan civilians.

Since the announcement, though, there has been no confirmation that the hostages received the medications.

The announcement by Qatar appears to be the closest thing yet to such a confirmation, but it doesn’t include any proof that the medications were actually received.

A diplomat familiar with the negotiations told The Times of Israel earlier this month that the presentation of such proof wasn’t part of the agreement and is unlikely to come. However, they noted that Hamas wants to keep the hostages alive, as they are worth more to the terror group than if they were not. Accordingly, it has an interest in ensuring that the hostages receive the medicine, the diplomat said.

Moreover, they noted that claims from the families of specific hostages that their loved ones had not received the medications may have been because they were not on the list of the several dozen hostages earmarked to receive meds.

Earlier this week, Channel 12 reported on an independent initiative from several hostage families who succeeded in funneling medications into Gaza for their loved ones in November, but then too, it was unclear whether the meds reached their destination.