Israel and Hamas have reached a deal that would allow medications to be delivered to Israeli hostages in return for additional medicine and aid for Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, marking a significant breakthrough in the indirect talks between the warring sides, officials said.
The agreement was announced on Tuesday by Qatari officials, who have served as mediators. A Hamas official, Basem Naim, later confirmed the agreement, and the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said a deal had been reached to send medicine to the hostages.
More than 120 hostages have been held in Gaza since Oct. 7, and many have health conditions that require regular medical care, including cancer and diabetes. Their families have grown increasingly concerned as the war entered its fourth month and as hostages released in late November have shared harrowing accounts of their captivity.
The agreement was mediated by Qatar and France, and involves Israel allowing more medicine and humanitarian aid to reach civilians in Gaza in exchange for delivering medication to Israeli captives, the spokesman for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Majed bin Mohammed Al-Ansari, said in a statement.
Mr. Al-Ansari said the medications and aid will leave Doha on Wednesday and be taken to Al-Arish in Egypt, on board two Qatari military aircraft, in preparation for their transport to “the most affected and vulnerable areas” in Gaza.
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