Agreement between Israel and Hamas: Medicines for hostages on the way

More than 130 Israeli hostages are still being held in the Gaza Strip – many of them chronically ill. They should now receive urgently needed medication. Meanwhile, fighting continues in the Palestinian territory.

The agreement is in place: the Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip should receive medication. And there should also be help for Palestinian civilians. In the morning, the Qatari air force brought medicine and other humanitarian supplies to El Arish, Egypt, near the border with the Gaza Strip. The Israeli government emphasized that further transport to the war zone would be monitored by Qatari negotiators.

According to media reports, the international Red Cross is also said to be involved to ensure that the medicines delivered actually reach the Israeli hostages. Exactly how this part of the agreement is to be implemented is unclear and, from the perspective of the hostages, this is the weak point.

Relatives demand evidence of the handover

Nadav Rudaeff, whose father Lior was kidnapped, said in an interview with the Israeli broadcaster KAN: “There must be pictures to prove this. What else is supposed to stop Hamas from using the supplied medicine itself?” No promises were received on this issue. “It is not clear whether we will receive a sign of life from the hostages through the delivery of medicine.”

Qatar brokered the agreement between Israel and Hamas. Some of the more than 100 hostages remaining in the Gaza Strip suffer from previous illnesses such as diabetes. In return for their care, medicines will also be delivered to Palestinian patients.

Fighting in the Gaza Strip continues

Meanwhile, intense fighting continues in the Gaza Strip. According to unverifiable information from local authorities this morning, around 160 Palestinians have died in the past 24 hours. The Israeli army also reported losses again. According to them, 192 soldiers have been killed since the ground offensive began.

Hamas’ tunnels continue to pose a particular challenge for the army. They are delaying the course of the operation, said Roi Sharon, military correspondent for the KAN broadcaster. “The tunnels are much longer, more complicated and of higher quality than the army expected before the ground offensive began. Everything is taking much longer than expected,” he explained.

In Khan Yunis, the tunnel length is now assumed to be 160 kilometers in total and that is also just an estimate. “The army has been there for almost two months and has only reached a fifth of the tunnels, and that’s only in Khan Yunis.”

Tensions continue in the West Bank and on the northern border

The security situation also remains tense in the West Bank. Several Palestinians died in an Israeli drone strike near the city of Nablus overnight – their car was hit by a rocket. According to Israeli military information, the attack targeted the leader of a terrorist cell that was said to be about to carry out an attack. Hours later there was another Israeli airstrike in the West Bank.

The army continues to take action against the Lebanese Hezbollah militia on Israel’s northern border. Yesterday, targets were attacked in the Lebanese hinterland near the border. Major General Ori Gordin, head of Israel’s Northern Command, said: “Tens of thousands of troops are deployed along the Lebanese border to defend it. At the same time, we continue to conduct operations to push back Hezbollah and eliminate its capabilities.”

Israel’s political and military leadership has been affirming for weeks that it is no longer prepared to accept a situation in which Hezbollah is heavily armed and present directly in the border area.