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First 1,000 COVID Vaccine Doses to Enter Gaza Wednesday: Israel

A worker wearing protective gear sprays disinfectant as a precaution against the coronavirus, in Gaza City [Adel Hana/The Associated Press]
A worker wearing protective gear sprays disinfectant as a precaution against the coronavirus, in Gaza City [Adel Hana/The Associated Press]
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First 1,000 COVID Vaccine Doses to Enter Gaza Wednesday: Israel

A worker wearing protective gear sprays disinfectant as a precaution against the coronavirus, in Gaza City [Adel Hana/The Associated Press]
A worker wearing protective gear sprays disinfectant as a precaution against the coronavirus, in Gaza City [Adel Hana/The Associated Press]

An initial batch of 1,000 coronavirus vaccine doses donated by Russia will enter Gaza on Wednesday, Israel's defence ministry told AFP, after it had blocked a shipment earlier this week.

The Israeli military branch responsible for civilian affairs in the occupied Palestinian territories (COGAT) said that the Sputnik V doses were being "transferred from the Palestinian Authority (in the West Bank) to Gaza, following (Israeli) political approval".

It added that "the vaccine shipment is now making its way to the Erez crossing" that connects Israel to the blockaded Gaza Strip, an enclave which is controlled by the militant group Hamas.

Earlier, ‘Hamas’ and the ‘Islamic Jihad Movement’ hinted at potential escalation in case Israel didn't approve the entry of coronavirus vaccines to Gaza.

Hamas held Israel responsible for the consequences that might ensue from stopping the shipment.

Atef Adwan from Hamas described the blockage as racial discrimination against Palestinians.

He called on the Palestinian resistance to pressure the occupation for the sake of ensuring the entry of vaccines to the Gaza Strip.

Yusef al-Hasayna, a member of the political bureau of the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine, commented on this saying that the fact that the occupation stopped the shipment reveals “the true, ugly, hideous face of Israel.”

He called the delay in allowing the vaccines to enter “a war crime about which the Palestinian people and its forces cannot remain silent.”

The international community is expected to deter the Israeli occupation and to stop its crimes against Palestinians, according to Hasayna, or else it would be an accomplice.

Palestinian Authority Health Minister Mai Alkaila said that the PA tried to send 2,000 doses of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine from the occupied West Bank to Gaza on Monday, but Israel stopped the shipment at a West Bank checkpoint “and informed the Palestinians there was no approval to continue to Gaza.”

“These doses were intended for medical staff working in intensive care rooms designated for COVID-19 patients, and for staff working in emergency departments,” Alkaila added.

The PA called on the WHO and other international organizations "to hold Israel fully responsible for the dangers arising from preventing the entry of vaccines into the Gaza Strip," according to Palestinian government spokesperson Ibrahim Melhem.

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Iraqi Official to Asharq Al-Awsat: Hamas Hasn't Requested Transfer of Leadership to Baghdad

Iraqi PM Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani welcomes his Palestinian counterpart Mohammad Mustafa in Baghdad, June 6, 2024. (Government media)
Iraqi PM Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani welcomes his Palestinian counterpart Mohammad Mustafa in Baghdad, June 6, 2024. (Government media)
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Iraqi Official to Asharq Al-Awsat: Hamas Hasn't Requested Transfer of Leadership to Baghdad

Iraqi PM Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani welcomes his Palestinian counterpart Mohammad Mustafa in Baghdad, June 6, 2024. (Government media)
Iraqi PM Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani welcomes his Palestinian counterpart Mohammad Mustafa in Baghdad, June 6, 2024. (Government media)

The Iraqi government dismissed on Tuesday local and Western media reports saying the leadership of the Palestinian Hamas movement was planning on leaving Qatar and relocating to Iraq.

The reports said Hamas’ decision follows weeks of pressure from Qatar to accept a Gaza ceasefire proposal.

“Hamas offices will not be opened in Baghdad as the media reports claimed. We have not received a request for the transfer of Hamas leaders or the opening of an official office in Iraq,” the political advisor to the Prime Minister, Fadi Al-Shammari, told Asharq Al-Awsat on Tuesday.

A source close to the government told Asharq Al-Awsat that the relocation of Hamas leaders Khaled Meshaal and Ismail Haniyeh to Baghdad is highly unlikely.

“Hamas has not asked the Iraqi government to open an office or move their headquarters to Baghdad,” he stressed, dismissing as “baseless” reports about the issue.

Western media had said the Iraqi government had approved the move last month following discussions between Haniyeh and representatives from the Iraqi and Iranian governments.

They said the potential move was also reviewed separately last month by Haniyeh and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani.

The United States’ The National quoted a senior Iraqi MP as saying: “There is no consensus among Iraqi political groups on Hamas’ move to Baghdad. Some, especially the Kurds and some Sunnis, fear it will deepen differences with the United States.”

Meanwhile, Iraqi media outlets said Hamas this month opened a PR and media office in Baghdad with official government approval.

The Iraqi “Kataib al Imam Ali” faction, led by Shibl al-Zaidi, who is on the US sanctions list, revealed that some of its members attended an official opening ceremony of a Hamas political office in Baghdad.

Ambiguous file

Despite the official Iraqi government denial, Iraqi MP Sajjad Salem said the transfer of Hamas’ leadership remains a “vague and mysterious” issue.

“A lot has been said of the issue behind the political scenes, but most of it is inaccurate and unclear,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“Iraq has no problem with receiving Palestinian refugees, whether politicians or ordinary citizens, given their severe suffering Gaza and since Iraq is a signatory to international agreements related to refugees. However, we are not ready to drag Iraq to a problem that is too great for it to handle,” Salem added.

He stressed that Baghdad is willing to help the Palestinians, but warned that “outlaw groups may view Hamas’ relocation as a clear violation of government powers.”

“Iraq does not need to insert itself in the war of the axes or in regional and international conflicts that do not serve its national interests,” Salem said.

Furthermore, he ruled out the possibility of Hamas leaders moving to Iraq given the unstable security situation and the religious and sectarian considerations and sensitivities existing in the country.