The Qatari Foreign Ministry confirmed late on Wednesday that medications for 45 Israeli hostages have been delivered to Gaza's Hamas run Health Ministry. "Qatar continues its mediation efforts with regional and international partners on the humanitarian and political level," the ministry said.
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Two Qatari planes arrived in El Arish in the north of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, where supplies were unloaded and transferred to the Rafah border crossing with Gaza about 28km (17 miles) away to the east, Egyptian security and Red Crescent officials said.
CNN reported on Sunday that according to the agreement, more than 40 abductees are to receive medication. The Gaza Health Ministry is supposed to find a solution to transfer the drugs to the hostages, through Hamas and without Red Cross involvement.
Prime Minister Netanyahu earlier came under fire after officials revealed he had reported on the deal to supply medications for the hostages before it was completed thereby causing a delay of days in the drugs' arrival.
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A shipment of supplies from Gaza including medication for hostages arrives onboard Qatari military aircraft
Netanyahu also kept his defense minister in the dark as well as the military as to the terms agreed upon that included Israel foregoing an inspection of the delivered items before they were handed over to Hamas, raising concerns that the shipment would also include items that would assist the terror group in its war against Israel.
He later attempted to distance himself from that controversial agreement, claiming he was not involved in the details which were the responsibility of his defense establishment.
"The prime minister was not involved in the security arrangements, that are under the purview of the military and defense establishments," the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.
In the afternoon, Netanyahu reversed course and ordered the IDF to inspect the shipment of medications that would be transferred to Gaza for the Israeli hostages after he came under criticism for agreeing to the delivery sent from Qatar to enter the Strip free from inspection under the terms agreed with the Qataris and with France.
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Benjamin Netanyahu , medications
(Photo:Ronen Zvulun/ EPA, Ibraheem Abu Mustafa / Reuters )
Mousa Abu Marzook, a member of the Hamas leadership said the terror group dictated the terms of the agreement. For each box of medicine for the hostages, 1,000 boxes would be delivered by the Red Cross to hospitals in the Strip. "We are the ones who dictated the amount, the mediator, and the delivery mechanism," he said.
Despite Netanyahu's attempt to claim he was not responsible for the details of the medication delivery, Minister Benny Gantz, a member of the war cabinet and the leader of the National Unity Party, said the political leadership is responsible for the delivery as well as the agreement that enables it.