A group of six Palestinian and Israeli human rights groups have appealed to Israel's Supreme Court to demand that the state provide vaccines to Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.
Joining Physicians for Human Rights-Israel in the petition to the court were: HaMoked: Centre for the Defense of the Individual; Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights; Gisha – Legal Centre for Freedom of Movement; Adalah: The Legal Centre for Arab Minority Rights in Israel; and Rabbis for Human Rights.
In their petition, the organizations emphasize that Israel has legal, moral, and ethical obligations towards the Palestinians, deriving from its occupation and ongoing control of Gaza and the West Bank.
These duties are anchored in international law as well as Israeli jurisprudence.
The Palestinian healthcare system and economy have been subjected for many years to severe restrictions imposed by Israel, which have led to a shortage of doctors and medical supplies, and difficulty dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
More than 50 percent (more than five million) of the Israeli population has been vaccinated. In contrast, less than 50,000 Palestinians were vaccinated (34,000 in the West Bank and 16,000 in the Gaza Strip).
Palestinian Minister of Health Mai al-Kailah said the recovery rate in Palestine reached 89.3 percent, active cases reached 9.6 percent, and the death rate 1.1 percent of the total infections.
A total of 14 deaths were recorded in West Bank.
She pointed that 205 COVID-19 patients are receiving treatment in intensive care units, including 69 who are connected to ventilators, while 690 others are hospitalized across the West Bank.
In the Gaza Strip, 617 cases and two deaths were recorded.
