Israel finally authorized the vac …

The Palestinian Autonomous Government sent the first shipment of coronavirus vaccines to Gaza strip, two days after accusing Israel of preventing it over objections from some lawmakers in that country.

Palestinian National Authority (PNA) Minister of Health Mai Alkaila said in a statement the PNA sent 2000 doses of Sputnik V vaccine given by Russia to impoverished and stranded coastal territory controlled by the Islamist movement Hamas.

An IDF official told local media that the Israeli authorities, who keep the area blocked, have approved the shipment, and that “a health crisis in Gaza is not in Israel’s interest.” .

The Gaza Strip, which has 2 million Palestinians and is one of the most densely populated territories in the world, has been under the dual Israeli and Egyptian blockades since Hamas took control in 2017 and expelled the forces and ANP officials in the West Bank.

Added to this region is the continued spread of the coronavirus. Gaza’s health ministry recently reported more than 53,000 infected people and 538 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, in the West Bank, the ANP’s health ministry records more than 115,700 cases and 1,400 deaths.

Faced with this situation, Israeli lawmakers have come to debate the advisability of allowing the entry of vaccines into Gaza. Some even argued that the transfer should be linked to progress in the release of two Israelis held by Hamas and the return of the bodies of two Israeli soldiers killed in a military offensive against the group in Gaza in 2014.

Vaccines donated by Russia, which require two doses for a full vaccination, will be used to immunize 1,000 people, while a larger campaign could take several months.

Although the ANP said the first doses would be for frontline health workers, the Gaza health ministry assured they would be applied in two phases, first to vulnerable people, then to doctors and to nurses.

As, Israel leads one of the world’s most successful coronavirus vaccination campaigns, since it has come to immunize more than a third of its 9.3 million citizens since December.

Israel seized the West Bank in a war in 1967, and the Palestinians claim the territory is the heart of the future state they aspire to form there and in Gaza, with its capital in the eastern sector in Arab majority in Jerusalem.

Various human rights groups have said that as the occupying power in Palestine, Israel is obligated to share its vaccines with the Palestinians. However, Israel denies having such an obligation and claims that its priority is its own citizens, 20% of whom are Palestinians.

The ANP stressed that it was not publicly requesting vaccines from Israel and that its own supply of 10,000 doses of Sputnik V was guaranteed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and agreements with laboratories.

Despite this, Israel provided the ANP with 2,000 doses of Moderna vaccine earlier this month, allowing Palestinians to begin immunizing their medical staff.

In the coming days, Palestinians will also receive 50,000 doses through the Covax mechanism, created by the WHO so that countries with fewer resources can also receive vaccines.