Three Qatari diplomats died and two were injured in a car accident that occurred this morning near the Egyptian city of Sharm el-Sheikh, where negotiations for peace in Gaza in which Qatar is an active part are taking place, according to what was reported by the Doha embassy in Cairo. Egyptian state broadcaster Al-Qahera News reported that five Qataris and an Egyptian driver were aboard the vehicle whose driver lost control and crashed. The Qatari embassy in Cairo expressed “deep sorrow and condolences” over the deaths of the three diplomats. “The deceased and injured will be transferred to Doha today on a Qatari plane,” he said in a statement. “The two injured are currently receiving the necessary medical treatment at Sharm El Sheikh International Hospital.”
Meanwhile, trucks carrying aid for the population of Gaza began today to cross the Kerem Shalom crossing, on the southern border with Egypt, to enter the Strip. This was reported by Al Araby television. The Israeli Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (Cogat) assured CNN that trucks carrying basic necessities had already entered yesterday, without however providing details on the number of convoys. According to the agreement reached with Hamas in Sharm el Sheikh, 600 trucks a day should arrive in Gaza.
The return of the Israeli hostages will begin tomorrow morning, on the basis of the Sharm el Sheikh agreement. Hostage affairs coordinator Gal Hirsch confirmed this in a message to families.
“Preparations have been completed for the repatriation of the live hostages to the Gaza Strip, to the Reim camp, to hospitals and, in general, to government facilities,” says Hirsch, speaking of the 20 abductees who are believed to still be alive.
As regards the dead, approximately 28, preparations have also been completed for the repatriation of the bodies which will be transferred “in a respectful manner” to the Institute of Forensic Medicine for the identification of the remains. However, it is not certain that all the bodies can be located immediately. “We ask, hope and work so that Hamas, with the assistance of the international force, makes maximum efforts to return all the dead hostages,” he explains.