Palestinians condemn the Israeli occupation’s refusal to allow the delivery of Covid-19 vaccines to Gaza

In a new crime against the Palestinian people, the Israeli occupation has prevented the delivery of anti-coronavirus vaccines to the besieged Gaza Strip, a criminal act that requires immediate action by the international community, especially the World Health Organization, to pressure Israel and force it to allow the vaccines to reach Gaza.

 Preventing the vaccines from entering Gaza comes as the besieged strip is witnessing deterioration in health conditions in the light of the increase of the number of Coronavirus infections.  The number of registered cases has reached 53718, of which 538 have died.

 The occupation also has prevented the delivery of medicines for chronic diseases, especially cancer and kidney failure, whose cases exceed 3000.

 Mai Al-Kaila, the Palestinian Health Minister condemned the Israeli decision to block the delivery of the vaccines, stressing that this behavior contradicts international laws. She clarified that the shipment of vaccines, blocked by the occupation, contained 2000 doses of the Russian (Sputnik V) vaccine destined for the medical staff working in the intensive care rooms of Corona patients and for the staff working in the emergency departments.

Spokesman of the Palestinian government Ibrahim Melhem said in a statement that preventing the entry of the first shipment of Corona vaccines by the occupation is a blatant violation of the international law and international humanitarian law as it seriously endangers the lives of medical staff and patients in the light of the continuous outbreak of the epidemic in the Strip. He stressed Gaza Strip’s urgent need for the vaccines, especially the medical teams working in the isolation rooms that take care of infected persons.

On her part, Maryam Abu Daqqa, Member of the Political Bureau of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, stressed that the Israeli occupation continues to commit crimes and practices terrorism against the Palestinian people and prevents the vaccines shipments to Gaza, reiterating that these violations require an immediate move by the International Criminal Court to hold Israel accountable for its crimes which are being perpetrated while the world is joining efforts to combat the Corona pandemic.

Hamda Mustafa