Negotiations for Gaza cease-fire, hostage swap are ongoing: Qatar
The death toll from Israel’s offensive on the Gaza Strip has jumped to 29,195 since October 7
Qatar said on Tuesday that negotiations for a Gaza cease-fire and hostage swap between Hamas and Israel are ongoing.
“Qatar continues its role and efforts and communications are still ongoing between all parties,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-ansari told reporters.
He said the humanitarian conditions are taking a central stage in the ongoing talks for a hostage-prisoner swap deal between Hamas and Israel.
On Monday, Qatar accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of prolonging the war in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas is believed to be holding more than 130 Israeli hostages following its October 7 cross-border attack into Israel.
Meanwhile, the death toll from Israel’s offensive on the Gaza Strip has jumped to 29,195 since October 7, the Palestinian Health Ministry said on Tuesday.
The Gaza-based Health Ministry made the statement as the Israeli onslaught enters its 137th day.
Another 69,170 people have been injured so far.
In the past 24 hours, the Israeli army atrocities across the Gaza Strip left 103 people dead and 142 others injured.
“Many people are still trapped under rubble and on the roads and rescuers can’t reach them,” it added.
Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Palestinian group Hamas in October, in which nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed.
About 85 per cent of Gazans have been displaced by the Israeli onslaught, while all of them are food insecure, according to the UN. Hundreds of thousands of people are living without shelter, and less than half of aid trucks are entering the territory than before the start of the conflict.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to
civilians in Gaza.
WHO leads two life-saving missions
The World Health Organization said on Tuesday that it led two life-saving missions to transfer 32 critical patients, including two children, from Nasser Medical
Complex in southern Gaza on February 18-19.
“The high-risk missions were conducted in close partnership with the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) and the United Nations Office for the Coordina
tion of Humanitarian Affairs,” WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic said at a UN Press conference.
“They were carried out under very difficult conditions.”
He said four PRCS ambulances ensured the safe transportation of the patients, who underwent medical assessment and triage under the coordination of the hospital director.
“Patients were moved to the European Gaza Hospital in Khan Younis, Al-aqsa hospital in Gaza’s middle area, and the International Medical Corps, UAE, and Indonesia field hospitals in Rafah,” said Jasarevic.
“Nasser Hospital has no electricity or running water, and medical waste and garbage are creating a breeding ground for
disease.”
‘Indescribable destruction’
At Nasser Hospital, WHO staff said the destruction around the hospital was ‘indescribable’.
The area was surrounded by burnt and destroyed buildings and heavy layers of debris, with no stretch of intact road.
“The dismantling and degradation of the Nasser Medical Complex is a massive blow to Gaza’s health system,” said WHO’S Jasarevic.
“Facilities in the south are already operating well beyond maximum capacity and can barely receive more patients.”
The hospital staff requested the transfer of patients after the facility became non-functional following a military raid on February 14, after a week-long siege.
According to the WHO spokesperson, weak patients were transferred amid an active conflict near the aid convoy.
“Road conditions hindered the swift movement of ambulances, placing patients’ health at further risk,” said Jasarevic.
“Patients transferred during the missions included three suffering from paralysis - two of them with tracheostomy - and several others with external fixators for severe orthopaedic injuries.” Two of the paralyzed patients required continuous manual ventilation throughout the journey due to the lack of portable ventilators.
Qatar continues its role and efforts and communications are still ongoing between all parties MAJED AL-ANSARI