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.
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Israel has faced international criticism for largely excluding Palestinians in the 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.
The shipment 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 an Israeli-Egyptian blockade since Hamas, an Islamic terrorist group, seized power from PA forces in a military coup 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.
Israel and Hamas have fought three wars and numerous skirmishes since the militant group took control of Gaza.
In an interview Wednesday with Army Radio, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was working on bringing captive Israelis back from Gaza, but did not link the issue to vaccines. He noted the vaccines were from Palestinian supplies and said it was important that Palestinians be vaccinated because the virus can easily cross into Israel.
"This is not from Israeli supplies," he said. "I am committed to bringing back the prisoners and the missing in action at any price. We are working on this these days, but the epidemiological issue is not connected."
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