Qatar claims Hamas is giving medicine to hostages, Netanyahu demands proof

Qatar’s statement gave no explanation for the delay in the delivery of medicines. 

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

In a statement, Qatar claimed on Tuesday night that medicines that were intended to be given to hostages have reached their destination and are being administered to Israeli captives by Hamas.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the credibility of the report will be investigated to ensure it’s valid.

This follows the news that in Khan Younis, the IDF discovered packages of medicine with names on them but they were clearly not delivered to the hostages.

In addition, the French Foreign Ministry made a deal with Qatar to deliver medicines to hostages, but there was no evidence the medications were received by the specific people they were meant for.

Qatar’s statement on Tuesday said, “The State of Qatar has received confirmation from the Islamic Resistance Movement [Hamas] regarding the receipt of a shipment of medicines and the commencement of their delivery to beneficiaries among the hostages in the Gaza Strip, in implementation of an agreement between Hamas and Israel, mediated by Qatar in cooperation with France last month.”

However, the statement, which was drafted by Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari, gave no explanation for the delay in the delivery of medicines.

Although Qatar confirmed on January 17th that medicines for the hostages were sent into Gaza, there was no additional confirmation that individual captives received their medicine.

An Arab diplomat said that further confirmation wasn’t guaranteed as part of the deal but insisted that it is in Hamas’s interest to keep the hostages alive because they are more valuable if they are living.

The Prime Minister’s Office says Qatar’s statement about the medication for the hostages having been received by Hamas is a “direct result of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s insistence on receiving proof of the arrival of the drugs for our hostages.”

He added that “Israel will examine the credibility of the report and will continue to work for the peace of our hostages.”

Many of the remaining hostages are elderly men who rely on medications to remain healthy.

Since October 7th, the Red Cross has not yet visited the hostages because Hamas will not allow them access to them.