Hamas is claiming – without providing a shred of proof – that it has begun giving necessary medications to the Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza, Qatar’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

While Hamas’s word can be anything but trusted, the statement still marks the first acknowledgment of the successful execution of an agreement brokered by Qatar in mid-January aimed at ensuring the provision of necessary medical supplies to specific hostages in need, alongside additional medical aid for the civilian population of Gaza.

Responding to the Qatari’s statement, PM Netanyahu’s office said: “The Qatari announcement is the direct result of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s insistence on receiving proof that the medicines have reached our hostages. Israel will evaluate the credibility of the report and continue to act for the well-being of our hostages.”

A diplomat told the Times of Israel that Hamas was not required to prove that they actually provided medications to hostages, with the rationale being that Hamas has a vested interest in keeping the hostages alive, as they hold far more value to the group when alive.

However, the families of some hostages said their loved ones have not received their needed medications, despite the Qatar-brokered deal.

Channel 12 separately disclosed efforts by several hostage families who, in an independent initiative, managed to send medications to Gaza for their relatives in November. The success of these efforts in terms of the medications reaching the intended recipients remains uncertain, though the IDF found medications with the hostages’ names on them in a Khan Younis hospital last week.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)