Qatar-led talks in works to get medicine to Israeli hostages in Gaza — report

Israeli official tells NYT of progress on matter, as Hamas spokesperson says terror group engaged in the negotiations ‘with great positivity’

Relatives of Israeli hostages held by  Hamas gather along the Gaza border, equipped with powerful loudspeakers hanging from cranes, in an effort to get messages of hope across to them as their time in captivity nears to 100 days, on January 11, 2024. (Jack Guez / AFP)
Relatives of Israeli hostages held by Hamas gather along the Gaza border, equipped with powerful loudspeakers hanging from cranes, in an effort to get messages of hope across to them as their time in captivity nears to 100 days, on January 11, 2024. (Jack Guez / AFP)

High-level talks between Qatar and Hamas are moving toward a deal that could potentially see vital medicine delivered to Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip, The New York Times reported on Thursday.

An Israeli official told the publication there has been progress on the issue and Hamas’s international spokesman Husam Badran told NYT his terror group is engaged in the talks “with great positivity.”

The talks also include negotiations on moves to get more medical supplies into Gaza for Palestinians, as local health authorities say they are facing shortages of drugs and equipment.

The Israeli official briefed on the talks said discussions were underway with international organizations on how to get the medicine to the hostages, who have had no access to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) since being abducted on October 7, during Hamas’s murderous onslaught across southern Israel where terrorists killed 1,200 and took 240 others hostage.

Israel has blasted the Red Cross as a mere Uber service that has sufficed with ferrying hostages released by Hamas to the border while failing to visit them in captivity or even ensure that much-needed medicines reach those being held, men, women, children and the elderly. The international aid group has retorted that publicly pressuring Hamas on these issues would not work and risks robbing the group of its perceived status of neutrality that allows it to operate in conflict zones around the world.

Last month, ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric sparked fury in Israel for saying in an interview with Israeli TV that it was up to Israel to work out the issue with Hamas.

“The fact that so many hostages have been denied the medications they need is a death sentence,” Daniel Lifshitz, whose 83-year-old grandfather Oded Lifshitz is held in Gaza told the New York Times. “They should have received what they needed on the first day.”

Some 132 hostages are believed to remain in Gaza — not all of them alive — after 105 civilians were released from Hamas captivity during a weeklong truce in late November. Four hostages were released before that, and one was rescued by troops. The bodies of eight hostages have also been recovered and three hostages were mistakenly killed by the military.

The Israel Defense Forces has confirmed the deaths of 25 of those still held by Hamas, citing new intelligence and findings obtained by troops operating in Gaza

Many of the remaining hostages suffer from chronic conditions requiring specific medications and those who were freed reported encountering Israelis held in Gaza with untreated or insufficiently treated injuries and wounds.

Last week, the relatives of six Israeli hostages made an unprecedented visit to Qatar, which brokered the November hostage release deal, to speak with officials there about the stalled negotiations for a new hostage agreement.

Lifshitz said the families raised the urgent need for medicines to be delivered to the hostages during their meeting with Qatari leaders. The relatives met with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Qatari Minister of State at the Foreign Ministry Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, who heads the Gulf nation’s negotiations team with Israel and Qatar, during the visit.

Qatar is “painfully aware of the suffering of the remaining hostages and their loved ones,” a Qatari official told Axios after the visit.

“All of the hostages’ lives are at risk, especially those who need medical treatment,” Dr. Hagai Levine, the chairman of the medical team with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, told The New York Times. “It’s my wish that they will finally get the treatment that they deserve.”

“In a humanitarian initiative, ICRC teams have been urging the parties and those with influence to get medicines delivered to the hostages,” Jason Straziuso, a spokesman for the ICRC, told the publication.

“The most critical step is that the medicines get into the hands of those who need it. We won’t be satisfied until they do,” he said.

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