After delay, Israel allows vaccines into Hamas-run Gaza

By FARES AKRAM and JOSEPH KRAUSS
February 17, 2021

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel allowed the Palestinian Authority to deliver the first coronavirus vaccines to the Gaza Strip on Wednesday despite objections from Israeli lawmakers who suggested they be used as a bargaining chip for the release of captives held by the territory’s militant Hamas rulers.

Israel has faced international criticism for largely excluding Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza from its highly successful vaccination campaign. It held up the shipment for two days as the government faced questioning from a parliamentary committee before ultimately approving it.

The dispute highlights the Palestinians’ reliance on Israel even as they struggle to combat the pandemic on their own. It’s also a potent example of global inequality in the rollout of vaccines, most of which have been scooped up by wealthy countries.

The shipment finally arrived midday Wednesday at the Kerem Shalom crossing. Palestinian Health Minister Mai Alkaila said the PA sent 2,000 doses of the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine — enough to inoculate only 1,000 people in an impoverished territory that is home to 2 million Palestinians.

Gaza has been under a crippling Israeli-Egyptian blockade since Hamas, an Islamic militant group, seized power from PA forces in 2007. Gaza’s Health Ministry has reported more than 53,000 cases and at least 538 deaths since the start of the pandemic, and authorities have been reluctant to impose widespread lockdowns because the territory is already mired in poverty.

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