A top Hamas official, Mousa Abu Marzouq, explained via his account on X what has taken place regarding the medicine deal mediated by Qatar.
The Qatari foreign ministry had earlier said that it had succeeded in mediating the first agreement between Hamas and Israel since the last temporary truce, which ended on December 1. Doha has said that it did so in cooperation with France.
At least 350,000 chronically ill patients deprived of medication amid ongoing Israeli war, says Gaza Health Ministry https://t.co/lk5NbkkYTn pic.twitter.com/HaQHouxck7
— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) January 17, 2024
Abu Marzouq, however, provided an elaborate explanation of what had taken place leading to the agreement.
“The Red Cross submitted a request to provide medicines to Hamas prisoners of war, and there were 140 types of medicine, so we set several conditions,” he wrote.
The conditions, according to Abu Marzouq’s tweet, included the following:
“For every box of medicine, a thousand for our people.
Providing medicine through a country we trust.
The Red Cross places medicine in four hospitals covering all areas of the Gaza Strip, including medicine for prisoners.
Introducing more aid and food.
Preventing the inspection of medicine shipments by the enemy Israeli army.”
Abu Marzouq added that Hamas had refused a French request to provide the medicine, “due to our lack of confidence in the French government, its position in support of the Israeli occupation, and its standing in the face of our people’s aspirations for freedom and return.”
Indeed, France has been one of the first countries to provide unconditional support for Israel, condemning the Palestinian Resistance and seeking to establish a Middle Eastern coalition to fight Hamas similar to the one who fought ISIS.
تقدّم الصليب الأحمر بطلب تقديم الدواء لأسرى الحرب عند حماس، وكانت 140 صنفًا، فوضعنا عدّة شروط:
– مقابل كل علبة دواء، ألف لأبناء شعبنا.
– توفير الدواء عبر دولة نثق فيها.
– يضع الصليب الأحمر الدواء في أربع مستشفيات تغطي جميع مناطق قطاع غزة، -بما فيها أدوية الأسرى-.
– إدخال مزيد من…— د. موسى أبو مرزوق (@drmousamarzouq) January 17, 2024
As an alternative, Hamas sought the help of Qatar to provide the medicine, according to Abu Marzouq. The latter agreed.
Abu Marzouq’s explanation came in the context of allegations by embattled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who celebrated the deal as an Israeli achievement.
“Netanyahu is lying again and deceiving his people once again,” Abu Marzouq said.
“We are the ones who determined the quantity, the mediator, the distribution mechanism, and the delivery of the medicine to northern Gaza despite the Israeli ban and rejection for a hundred days,” according to Abu Marzouq.
The Qatar News Agency (QNA), citing Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majid al-Ansari, said that the medicine and aid will be sent on Wednesday to the Egyptian city of Al-Arish, in Sinai. Then, it will be transferred on board two planes belonging to the Qatari armed forces, before the containers make their way to Gaza.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
