After being blocked by Israel, first vaccines finally arrive in Gaza
By Steve Hendrix and Shira Rubin
JERUSALEM — The first coronavirus vaccines reached the Gaza Strip Wednesday when at least a thousand doses of the Russian Sputnik serum crossed into the heavily guarded enclave of almost 2 million Palestinians.
The shipment arrived after Palestinian officials accused Israel of blocking the shipment for political purposes when an initial attempt at delivery was turned back Monday at a military checkpoint.
Israel maintains tight control over goods and people entering Gaza, and some right-wing Israeli politicians and activists want to condition the delivery of vaccines to the release of hostages and human remains held by Hamas, the militant Palestinian group that governs the enclave.
“We warn [Israel] against the consequences of the spread of coronavirus in Gaza,” said Ismail Radwan, a former Hamas minister. “The resistance will not be blackmailed and we will not pay a price for letting the vaccine into the Gaza Strip.”