Israel supplies first coronavirus vaccines to Palestinians

2,000 doses of Moderna vaccine transferred to occupied West Bank

A health worker administers a dose of the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine at Clalit Health Services, in a gymnasium in the Israeli city of Petah Tikva AFP 

Israel said on Monday it supplied the Palestinians with a first shipment of coronavirus inoculations - 2,000 doses of Moderna's vaccine.

They were transferred to the occupied West Bank and will be used by Palestinian Authority medical teams, according to Cogat, Israel's military liaison with the Palestinians.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed the delivery and said it will give the vaccines to medical personnel who treat Covid-19 patients.

“The second category of people who will get the doses of the vaccines are those above 60 years of age and those who suffer chronic diseases,” the ministry said.

It said it expected to get 50,000 more doses in "the coming days", but did not disclose the source.

Israel has earmarked an additional 3,000 doses for the Palestinians, a Cogat official said.

Israel has emerged as a world leader in vaccinating its citizens. The Palestinian Authority has been trying to acquire a supply of its own and has ordered a batch of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine.

The Palestinians will also receive more than 35,000 doses from the Covax global vaccine sharing programme in the coming weeks, a World Health Organisation official said on Monday.

Coronavirus in Palestine