Agreement Between Israel and Hamas to Deliver Aid to Gaza

Israel and Hamas, which have been at war in Gaza since October 7, reached an agreement on Tuesday to allow humanitarian aid to enter for civilians and medication for Israeli hostages held by the Palestinian group, according to a statement by the Qatari foreign ministry, which mediated between the two sides. Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majid Al-Ansari announced, "The success of the mediation efforts of Qatar in cooperation with the friendly French Republic in reaching an agreement between Israel and Hamas includes the delivery of medications and a shipment of humanitarian aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip, particularly in the most affected areas, in exchange for delivering the medicines needed by the hostages in the region." The official Qatari news agency (QNA) reported Al-Ansari stating that "the medications and aid will be sent today, Wednesday, to the Egyptian city of Al-Arish onboard two aircraft from the Qatari armed forces, in preparation for their transfer to the Gaza Strip." For its part, Adrienne Watson, spokesperson for the National Security Council at the White House, stated that the Biden administration "welcomed" Qatar's announcement of reaching an agreement to deliver medicines for the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. The humanitarian situation in the besieged territory continues to deteriorate since the outbreak of war, while international and non-governmental organizations are calling for an expedited delivery of sufficient aid.