EU promises Gazans help getting virus vaccine

© MOHAMMED ABED A Palestinian employee dressed as Santa Claus takes a customer's temperature at a cafeteria in Gaza City on Tuesday

A European Union delegation visited Gaza on Tuesday pledging to help the blockaded Palestinian enclave access coronavirus vaccines, as the epidemic there continues to escalate. 

EU representative to the Palestinian Territories Sven Kuhn von Burgsdorff, who led the delegation of roughly 20 people, said the bloc would work with the United Nations "to facilitate (vaccination) to those most in need."

"It's a very complicated issue, but... the moment these vaccines become available, we will try our utmost," he said. 

Gaza, ruled by the Islamist group Hamas since 2007, is under a tight Israeli-enforced blockade, one factor that has led to weak health infrastructure in the Palestinian enclave. 

Israel says the blockade is necessary to contain Hamas. 

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Hamas acted fast in March to forestall the virus, only allowing entry to a limited number of people, who were then required to isolate for three weeks in quarantine centres. 

In mid-August, Gaza had recorded only around 100 Covid-19 cases, but the past two weeks have seen a rapid deterioration in containment.

On Monday, Hamas said it had received 20,000 test kits from the World Health Organization, after warning it could no longer perform testing due to a shortage. 

Facing a surge in cases, Hamas has also announced a lockdown on weekends lasting from December 11 to the end of the month. It also closed schools, universities, kindergartens and mosques.

Gaza has now registered nearly 25,600 coronavirus infections, including around 150 deaths.  

Israel's government has meanwhile announced the procurement of millions of doses of vaccines from both Pfizer and Moderna, but has not yet commented on whether its procurement would cater for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank or Gaza. 

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