DOHA: Medicines sent into Gaza under a deal mediated by Qatar and France have reached hostages held by Hamas, Doha said on Tuesday.The Gulf state’s foreign ministry spokesman said Qatar had “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”.A shipment of humanitarian aid and medicines for civilians were allowed into the Gaza Strip “in exchange for delivering the medicines needed by hostages”, said Majed Al-Ansari in a statement to the official Qatar News Agency (QNA).France and Qatar, which has led negotiations between Israel and Hamas, announced last month that a deal had been brokered between for the delivery of medicines for hostages and aid into Gaza.At the time, 45 hostages were expected to receive the medication following the delivery of supplies to a hospital in Rafah, where they would be handed over to the Red Cross.The war started when Hamas launched its unprecedented attack on October 7 that resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli figures.Hamas militants also took about 250 hostages — 130 of whom remain in Gaza, including 30 presumed dead, according to Israel.Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 29,195 people, mostly women and children, according to the latest count by the territory’s health ministry.Previously, Qatar mediated a one-week break in fighting that began in November and led to the release of scores of Israeli and foreign hostages, as well as aid entering the besieged Palestinian territory.Qatar, which hosts Hamas’s political office, has continued mediation efforts, including talks with both Israeli and Hamas negotiators last week.Ansari said Qatar was committed to continuing its mediation efforts with “regional and international partners”, and particularly with regards to “the exchange of prisoners and hostages, humanitarian aspects, and medical evacuation”.
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