GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Israel allowed Palestinian Authority to deliver first coronavirus vaccines to Gaza Strip Wednesday despite objections from Israeli lawmakers who suggested they should be used as a bargaining chip for detained captives by releasing Hamas militant rulers.
Israel has faced international criticism for largely excluding Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza from their highly successful vaccination campaign. He held the passengers for two days as the government opposed questioning from a parliamentary committee before approving it.
The controversy clarifies the Palestinian trust in Israel even as they struggle to fight the pandemic on their own. It is also a good example of global inequality in the distribution of vaccines, most of which have been caught by rich countries.
The final cargo arrived at noon Wednesday at the Kerem Shalom intersection. Palestinian Health Minister Mai Alkaila said the PA had sent 2,000 doses of the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine – enough to contain just 1,000 people in a deprived area that is home to 2 million Palestinians.
Gaza has been under severe Israeli-Egyptian deterrence since Hamas, an Islamic militant group, seized power from PA forces in 2007. The Gaza Ministry of Health has reported more than 53,000 cases and at least 538 deaths since the outbreak began. and authorities have been reluctant to impose extensive locks because the area is already in poverty.
Israel and Hamas have been fighting three wars and several divisions since the militant group took control of Gaza.
In an interview Wednesday with an Israeli military radio station, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was working on the return of captured Israelis from Gaza, but did not link the case to vaccines. He noted that the vaccines were from Palestinian supplies, and said it was important for the Palestinians to get vaccinated as the virus can easily enter Israel.
“This is not from Israeli resources,” he said. “I am committed to bringing back the prisoners and those in need at any cost. We are working these days, but the epidemiological issue is not linked. ”
In Monday’s parliamentary debate, Zvi Hauser, chairman of the foreign and defense committee, argued that the delivery of the vaccine should be linked to progress on the release of two Israeli prisoners held by Hamas and the remains of two soldiers Israel killed in war in 2014. He also raised concerns that vaccines would go to Hamas members rather than physicians.
Arab MP Ahmad Tibi described the debate as “disgraceful,” saying: “In 20 years, your children will also be ashamed of the vaccine ban situation.”
The Palestinian Authority said the first doses would go to front-line medical workers. But Ashraf al-Qedra, a spokesman for Gaza’s Ministry of Health, said they would be administered in two phases, first to vulnerable patients and then to health care workers.
“The amount is very small and not enough to cover the 12,000 medical staff,” he said. “We believe it is best to bring vulnerable patients first. , such as organ transplants and dialysis patients. “
The ministry said vaccinations would begin on Sunday because of severe winter weather that could pose a risk to patients traveling to hospitals.
Israel has launched one of the world’s most successful vaccination programs, protecting more than a third of its population of 9.3 million since December after receiving millions of doses from pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Moderna .
Rights groups say it is their duty as a property power to share their vaccines with the Palestinians. Israel captured eastern Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza in the 1967 war, areas that the Palestinians want for the future of the state.
Israel denies such an obligation and states that its own citizens are its priority. It is vaccinating Palestinian residents in east Jerusalem, who they consider part of its capital. Israel withdrew troops from Gaza in 2005, saying the Palestinian Authority is responsible for health care in the areas it administers under interim peace agreements.
The Palestinian Authority, which controls parts of the West Bank, has not publicly requested vaccinations from Israel and says it has obtained its own supply through the World Health Organization and agreements with drug manufacturers.
Hamas is believed to have two prisoners, an Israeli of Ethiopian descent who entered Gaza shortly after the 2014 war, and a Bedouin Arab citizen in Israel. Hamas, on the other hand, seems to want the release of large numbers of Israeli-held Palestinian prisoners, including individuals involved in deadly attacks.