Iraq Prepares to Provide Vaccines for 20% of its Population

In this Saturday, June 20, 2020 photo, workers set up a field hospital to treat patients with COVID-19 in Baghdad, Iraq. New field hospitals have been erected to treat virus patients as hospitals reach capacity, but health workers fear the worst is still to come. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
In this Saturday, June 20, 2020 photo, workers set up a field hospital to treat patients with COVID-19 in Baghdad, Iraq. New field hospitals have been erected to treat virus patients as hospitals reach capacity, but health workers fear the worst is still to come. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
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Iraq Prepares to Provide Vaccines for 20% of its Population

In this Saturday, June 20, 2020 photo, workers set up a field hospital to treat patients with COVID-19 in Baghdad, Iraq. New field hospitals have been erected to treat virus patients as hospitals reach capacity, but health workers fear the worst is still to come. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
In this Saturday, June 20, 2020 photo, workers set up a field hospital to treat patients with COVID-19 in Baghdad, Iraq. New field hospitals have been erected to treat virus patients as hospitals reach capacity, but health workers fear the worst is still to come. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

The Iraqi Ministry of Health announced that it is making arrangements to purchase the Pfizer-BoiNtech vaccine as part of its efforts to curb the coronavirus’s spread.

In a statement on Thursday, the Ministry said it made contacts with the companies that said were working on producing vaccines, stressing that an agreement was recently reached with the Global Vaccine Alliance to secure vaccines that cover 20 percent of the Iraqi population.

Concerning the agreement with Pfizer, the statement revealed that several confidential meetings were held with the company since July, which were followed by other recent meetings in October and November.

The Ministry explained that “at the same time, we are still in contact with AstraZeneca and other Chinese and international companies."

"We are awaiting for the official approval of the vaccines by international agencies to initiate negotiations with them," it added.

The statement highlighted the immense efforts the Ministry has been exerting to contain the spread of the virus, despite the its limited capacities amid the harsh conditions facing the country.

Earlier on Wednesday, Iraqi President Barham Salih met with Minister of Health Hassan Al-Tamimi, after which he emphasized the need to continue to take measures that curb the spread of the pandemic and maintain communication with companies that were successful in finding a vaccine to provide it for Iraqis.



Weaponization of Food in Gaza Constitutes War Crime, UN Rights Office Says

A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches among the ruins of buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardments in west of Gaza City, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches among the ruins of buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardments in west of Gaza City, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
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Weaponization of Food in Gaza Constitutes War Crime, UN Rights Office Says

A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches among the ruins of buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardments in west of Gaza City, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches among the ruins of buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardments in west of Gaza City, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

The UN human rights office said on Tuesday that the "weaponization" of food for civilians in Gaza constitutes a war crime, in its strongest remarks yet on a new model of aid distribution run by an Israeli-backed organization.

Over 410 people have been killed by gunshots or shells fired by the Israeli military while trying to reach distribution sites of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation since it began work in late May, UN human rights spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan told reporters at a Geneva press briefing.

The death toll has been independently verified by his office, he added.

"Desperate, hungry people in Gaza continue to face the inhumane choice of either starving to death or risk being killed while trying to get food," he said, describing the system as "Israel's militarized humanitarian assistance mechanism".

"The weaponization of food for civilians, in addition to restricting or preventing their access to life-sustaining services, constitutes a war crime and, under certain circumstances, may constitute elements of other crimes under international law."

Asked whether Israel was guilty of that war crime, he said: "The legal qualification needs to be made by a court of law."

Israel rejects war crimes charges in Gaza and blames Hamas fighters for harm to civilians for operating among them, which the fighters deny.