Israel is expected to approve the transfer of of tens of thousands of vaccine doses to the Gaza Strip

Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi and Defense Minister Bnei Gantz are expected to approve a request submitted by the Palestinian Authority in the coming days for the transfer of tens of thousands of vaccine doses to the Gaza Strip. The expected decision comes against the background of a petition filed by members of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin's family, demanding that the state not transmit vaccines to Gaza until the bodies of Israeli soldiers and civilians held by Hamas are returned.
According to senior IDF officers, thousands of vaccines purchased by Israel have so far been handed over to the Palestinian Authority in Judea and Samaria.
 The Minister of Defense accepted the request and that a decision on the matter is expected in the coming days. "Israel has approved and assisted in the various waves of the corona to transfer medical equipment to hospitals in the Strip," said senior officers involved in the details. They added that "corona vaccines are no different from regular drug or flu vaccines."
To date, more than 50,000 Palestinians have been infected in Corona, hundreds have died and about 50 are hospitalized in critical condition. According to IDF estimates, the number of infected and dead is much more serious, since most Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are in no hurry to be examined, and even if they wanted to - there are not enough examination kits.
Two months ago, applications were forwarded from the Palestinian Ministry of Health to the Ministry of Health in Israel, requesting vaccinations for medical staff in Judea and Samaria. After a round of consultations, the defense minister approved delivering hundreds of vaccines for them. In the second phase, thousands of vaccines were administered, among other things in order to prevent the leakage of disease through the daily movement of workers from the West Bank to Israel.
The High Court recently heard a petition filed by Goldin's family members demanding that the state not vaccinate Gaza until the bodies of Israeli soldiers and civilians were settled in Gaza. Adult Medicine Working with Corona Patients in the Palestinian Authority Later, the state announced that a shipment of 5,000 Russian vaccines, donated by the Russian government, had been transferred to the PA, and was intended for health workers in the West Bank and Gaza.
The Southern Command is closely monitoring the morbidity situation in the Gaza Strip, fearing that the spread of the virus in the Gaza Strip could lead to a security escalation. A few months ago, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar warned that if there was an outbreak of corona in Gaza and Israel disrupted medical aid to it, "it would have security consequences."
Senior military officials told Walla! NEWS that "if the Palestinian public criticizes Hamas and the Palestinian Authority as a result of a lack of vaccines or a problematic priority, Israel will become the address." Military sources added that "this could be reflected in public criticism and also in the rockets. This is how they attract worldwide attention and put pressure on decision makers."
"Hamas has two Israeli civilians and two dead bodies. Israel does not even insist that the Red Cross or any other international body visit the hostages and make sure they receive the vaccine that Israel transmits to the Gaza Strip. Israel is deterred in Gaza. The prime minister has finally adopted a zero-demand policy for Hamas. His whims, "said Zvi Hauser, chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.