Israel-Hamas deal reached to deliver more aid to Gaza
- Deal: Israel will allow aid into Gaza in exchange for medicine for hostages
- Aid packages are set to leave Qatar on Wednesday
- Over 130 hostages held by Hamas are still estimated to be inside Gaza
(NewsNation) — A deal has been reached to deliver more aid to Gaza in exchange for getting medicine to hostages still held by Hamas. The aid packages are set to leave Qatar on Wednesday.
France and Qatar meditators announced the deal, saying Israelis will allow more aid and medicine into some parts of Gaza that need it the most. The deal was made with the fear that time was running out for Israeli hostages held by Hamas militants.
The medicines arrived in Egypt and were on the way to the border. A senior Hamas official said that for every box provided for the hostages, 1,000 boxes would be sent in for Palestinians. The deal also includes the delivery of humanitarian aid to residents of the besieged coastal enclave.
Over 130 hostages are still estimated to be inside Gaza, and they have now spent more than 100 days in captivity. Their possibility of survival is what sparked a sense of urgency by the Israelis.
Already this week, two more hostages were confirmed dead: Yossi Sharabi and Itai Svirsky. Kibbutz Be’eri made the formal announcement, demanding their bodies be returned to Israel.
The hope is that this medicine can buy the hostages more time. Still, the official stance remains the same: The Israelis believe pressure is how they’ll get the remaining hostages out alive.
More than 200 trucks of aid a day have been brought into Gaza since Sunday, which is the highest sustained amount seen since the start of the war. Aid groups said there are parts of Gaza that it’s difficult to get aid into due to the fighting. The Israelis have blamed aid groups for struggling with distribution.
The intensity of fighting has already decreased in northern Gaza, and the southern campaign will likely follow suit.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.