Israel and Hamas Are in Talks to Deliver Medicine to Hostages in Gaza

Qatar is engaged in high-level discussions with Hamas to deliver vital prescription medicines to Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip at the same time it is making progress with Israel about allowing more medicine into the enclave for Gazan civilians, officials said.

More than 120 hostages have now been held in Gaza for nearly 100 days and many suffer from health conditions that require regular medical care, including cancer and diabetes. Their families have grown increasingly concerned as the war enters its fourth month and as hostages released in late November share harrowing accounts of their captivity.

Family members of the hostages raised the need for medicines during a meeting in Doha with the prime minister of Qatar, Mohammed bin Adbdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, according to Daniel Lifshitz, the grandson of one of the hostages.

An official familiar with the talks, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to their sensitivity, confirmed the meeting. He said that negotiators were discussing the types of medications needed, how much was needed and how to deliver them. Discussions were underway with international organizations that could help deliver them, he added.

Qatar has become a key mediator between Hamas and Israel — who aren’t speaking directly — in negotiations over the hostages. The talks on medical aid are separate from wider negotiations on another hostage release, which have not yielded an agreement.

A senior Israeli official, who was not authorized to talk to the news media and spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that talks on medicines for the hostages and for Gazan civilians had made progress. Husam Badran, a senior Hamas official, said in a text message that the group was actively discussing efforts related to delivering medications “with great positivity.”