GAZA CITY: A senior Hamas official announced fresh conditions for the delivery of medicines to hostages held by the group in Gaza. Musa Abu Marzuk, a prominent member of Hamas’s political bureau, stated that for every box of medicine supplied to the hostages, 1,000 boxes would be delivered to Gaza’s residents. The new conditions include bypassing Israeli inspection, with pharmaceutical trucks entering without scrutiny.
This announcement follows the recent agreement brokered by Qatar and France, where medicines and humanitarian aid are set to be supplied to civilians in Gaza in exchange for drugs needed by the hostages. The deal involves the delivery of medication to 45 hostages. Marzuk emphasized that the medicines would be routed through a country trusted by Hamas, excluding France from the process.
While a Qatari plane carrying medicines arrived in the Egyptian city of El-Arish near the Rafah border crossing, France outlined its plan to send the drugs to a hospital in Rafah. From there, the medication would be handed over to the Red Cross, divided into batches, and then transferred to the hostages.
Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy refrained from commenting on the latest conditions outlined by Hamas when questioned during an online briefing. Since October 7, Israel has launched a forceful assault in Gaza, killing at least 24,448 people, mostly women, children, and adolescents, according to the Gaza health ministry.
