Mai al-Kaila, the health minister of the Palestinian Authority, said that 2,000 doses of the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine had been shipped to the territory. The Palestinian Authority exercises limited self-rule over parts of the West Bank, while the Hamas militant group controls Gaza. In Gaza, with a population of about 2 million, the number of recorded COVID cases has declined sharply after a surge in December. The vaccines were delivered amid a heated debate over whether Israel bears responsibility for the health of Palestinians living in occupied territory. The vaccines delivered to Gaza were not supplied by Israel but by the Palestinian Authority.

Source: bd News24 February 17, 2021 19:07 UTC