Palestine Condemns Blocking to Vaccines from Israel to Gaza

Ramallah, MINA – The Palestinian government on Tuesday condemned the blocking of the corona virus vaccine by Israel on the blockaded Gaza Strip.

“Prime Minister Mohammad Shatayyeh asks WHO to stick to its obligations and work towards getting vaccines into the Gaza Strip,” Government spokesman Ibrahim Melhem said at a press conference, Anadolu Agency reported.

Health Minister Mai al-Kaila, said his ministry had sent 2,000 doses of Russia’s Sputnik-V vaccine to Gaza.

“The [Israeli] occupation, however, refuses to let vaccines into the coastal enclave,” Al-Kaila said.

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He said the vaccine is intended for medical staff working in intensive care units for COVID-19 patients, and for teams working in the emergency department. The dose is the first batch of a coronavirus vaccine to Gaza, led by Hamas.

The health sector in Gaza is suffering from severe shortages of medicine and medical supplies due to Israel’s 15-year blockade, making it difficult to deal with the spread of the virus.

On February 4, the Ministry of Health received 10,000 doses of the Sputnik-V vaccine and confirmed that a number of new vaccines will arrive in Palestine in the coming days without specifying a date.

As of Monday, the total coronavirus infection in Palestine reached 190,316, including 2,133 deaths. Gaza specifically confirmed 53,593 cases, including 537 deaths. (T/R7/RE1)

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Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)