- By Natasha Preskey
- BBC News
8 hours ago
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The hostages' families said some of the prisoners were in “imminent danger” without regular medical treatment
A new deal will allow medicines to be delivered to Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says.
This came after the families of some hostages visited Qatar and told negotiators that their loved ones needed essential prescription medications, CBS News reports.
Deliveries have not yet begun and it is not clear how the drugs will be transported.
Israel believes that around 105 hostages still live in Gaza.
An estimated 240 people were captured in the October 7 Hamas attacks, but 105 were later released by Hamas during a six-day ceasefire in late November, and at least 25 are believed to be dead.
Both Hamas and Israel have shown a willingness to allow the drugs to reach hostages, the BBC's international partner CBS News reported, citing a diplomatic source.
The mediators are working with both sides and international NGOs to figure out what drugs are needed, how many, and how they can be administered, the source adds.
According to a statement from the Israeli Prime Minister's Office on Friday, the drug is expected to be delivered in the next few days.
The statement also said the deal was negotiated after David Barnea, director of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency, contacted Qatar.
A Palestinian official told the BBC that there had been discussions about sending medical aid to Gaza, some of which met “the needs of the Israeli hostages in Gaza.”
In a letter to Israel's War Cabinet after the end of the ceasefire last year, the group Hostages Families HQ said it had “solid information that there are abductees whose condition has deteriorated and who are now in imminent danger.” .
They said at least a third of the hostages suffered from underlying medical conditions and needed regular medical treatment – and going without such treatment was dangerous.
According to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, more than 23,350 people have been killed in military retaliation in Gaza since the October 7 attacks – mostly children and women.
According to Israel, around 1,300 people – mostly civilians – were killed in the Hamas attack.