Israel has suspended 1,000 doses of Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine intended for face-to-face medical workers to enter the Gaza Strip under siege.
Palestinian Health Minister Mai Alkaila said in a statement on Monday that Israel had “full responsibility” to stop the recipients of the Palestinian Authority (PA), which controls parts of the West Bank with Israel. .
The PA has said it will share its vaccine supply with Gaza, where Hamas has been in power since a violent power struggle in 2007. The enclave, which is home to more than two million Palestinians, is not. have yet to receive any vaccines. Authorities there have reported more than 53,000 infections and at least 537 deaths since the outbreak began.
The PA has received around 2,000 doses of the Sputnik V vaccine.
Israel – which is making one of the world’s fastest vaccination campaigns – has defied international calls to share its stocks as an occupying power with Palestinians living on West Bank and Gaza.
COGAT, the Israeli military body that runs civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories, said the PA had asked to move 1,000 doses of vaccine to Gaza but that the request was “pending a political decision”. .
Gaza has been under siege by both Israel and Egypt for more than a decade, during which time Israel launched three armed attacks on the Strip, destroying much of the coastal enclave infrastructure, which including its health care facilities.
Israel has demanded the release of two Israelis held in Gaza in addition to the remains of two soldiers killed in an attack in 2014. On the other hand, it appears that Hamas calls for the release of a large number of Israeli-held Palestinian prisoners.
An Israeli official said the release of the vaccine was still being discussed late Monday.
“It simply came to our notice then. They are still considering it, ”said the officer, referring to an anonymous condition.
Harry Fawcett of Al Jazeera, reporting from West Jerusalem, said lawmakers in the Knesset were continuing to debate whether the vaccines should be allowed into Gaza.
“One argued that these vaccines should only be passed on to health workers and senior Hamas officials. For members of the Palestine-Israel Joint Joint List, this is holding back essential health care from a population that is owned and, therefore, a war crime, ”he said.
More delays
During a debate in Israel’s foreign affairs and defense committee, Chairman Zvi Hauser asked a representative from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s National Security Council for details of the vaccine transfer policy.
National Security Council official Roi Binyamini told the panel that the government did not intend to share Israel’s own vaccine supply with Gaza. But he said the government was measuring requests from other parties to allow the PA to deliver their own vaccines to the region. He said he intended to make a quick decision.
Earlier on Monday, the PA said it had withdrawn its vaccination campaign in the West Bank due to delays in delivery.
They said they were expecting passengers by the middle of this month, allowing him to start vaccinating the public in the West Bank while sharing stock with Hamas.
“There has been a delay in the arrival of the vaccine,” Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh said ahead of a weekly cabinet meeting, without further details.
He said the publication of vaccines would be announced “at a later time” when sufficient supplies arrive.
The PA plans to order two million doses from various manufacturers, as well as vaccines from the DA-backed COVAX program, which was set up to help less affluent countries get vaccines.
He began vaccinating frontal health care workers earlier this month with an initial supply of 10,000 doses of the Sputnik V vaccine from Russia, as well as several thousand doses of Moderna product throughout Israel.
To date, the PA has recorded nearly 115,000 coronavirus cases in the West Bank, including nearly 1,400 deaths.