The Israeli government announced on Sunday that it would transfer 5,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine to Palestinians to immunize primary health care workers, The Associated Press reports.
The office of Israeli Defense Secretary Benny Gantz made the announcement, the AP noted, adding that the statement was the first official confirmation of a transfer. According to the news service, no schedule was released for when the handover would take place.
Palestinian officials have stated that their government does not have the money to buy enough vaccines for the population. The AP notes that the Palestinian Authority is trying to obtain doses through the World Health Organization (WHO) COVAX program, which aims to provide doses to countries in need. However, the program has reportedly been slow to start distribution.
Israel has so far excelled at vaccinating its population, but has withheld vaccines from those living under the Palestinian Authority. Israel has previously acknowledged that it would be in its best interest to provide vaccines to the Palestinians given their proximity, but officials had stated that they would not provide doses until their own population was vaccinated.
Many health leaders in the world have pointed to the inequality in the global distribution of vaccines, with wealthier countries buying in more than enough doses to immunize their populations, while some poorer countries have received almost none.
WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus earlier in January denounced vaccine manufacturers, accusing them of prioritizing profits by focusing their approval efforts on wealthier countries. He noted at the WHO board meeting that a poor country, Guinea, had received only 25 doses.