Palestinian Authority gets 100K vaccine doses

Health Minister Mai al-Kaila said the Sinopharm vaccines that arrived in Ramallah will “greatly contribute to speeding up the community vaccination campaign.”Earlier this month the PA received 62,000 coronavirus vaccine doses through a World Health Organization partnership designed to help poor countries.

The PA has also received 2,000 doses from Israel and 10,000 doses of the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine. Authorities in the Gaza Strip, which is ruled by the Islamic militant group Hamas, have received 60,000 doses from a political rival of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is based in the United Arab Emirates.

Israel has come under international criticism for not sharing more of its vaccines with the Palestinians. Israel has said its priority was vaccinating its own citizens, but recently began vaccinating the estimated 100,000 Palestinians from the West Bank who work in Israel and Jewish settlements.

The PA has said it would secure its own supplies of vaccines.