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 on 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.”

Israeli officials would not comment on the reasons for the two-day delay in granting permission for the vaccine to enter Gaza, saying only that the request had been under review by the country’s National Security Council and the military agency that controls access to Gaza.

Health officials in Gaza City said they would begin inoculating residents immediately, starting with patients who are most vulnerable to dying of covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, including transplant patients and those on dialysis.

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[Source: Washington Post]