The Prime Minister's office reported Friday that following a diplomatic initiative led by Mossad chief David Barnea, instructed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, medications will soon be delivered to captives in Gaza for the first time since the beginning of the war. In exchange, Israel will be required to directly provide humanitarian aid to Gaza, including medications.
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In Gaza, there are still 136 Israeli hostages, some suffering from chronic illnesses. The medications to be delivered to the captives, facilitated by the Red Cross, are defined as "life-saving" based on a list provided by families and specialist physicians. These include medications for chronic conditions such as asthma inhalers, heart medications, and blood pressure medication. Hamas has long opposed the transfer of medications and set significant conditions for such actions.
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Mossad chief David Barnea, Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani
(Photo: GPO/Reuters)
The Mossad chief conducted direct and substantive negotiations with Qatar, successfully narrowing considerable gaps and formulating an agreement allowing the introduction of medications to captives in exchange for Israel providing humanitarian aid to Gaza, including medications. In other words, Israel transfers medications to Gaza, and Hamas, in turn, delivers the medications to the captives.
This development also underscores Israel's direct and effective engagement with Qatar, demonstrating continuous dialogue. However, this doesn't necessarily indicate a breakthrough in negotiations for the release of captives. The negotiations persist, though they are challenging, with no breakthrough apparent.