The COVID-19 pandemic in Palestine is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Palestine identified its first cases in the Bethlehem area on 5 March 2020, when a group of Greek tourists who visited a hotel in late February tested positive for the disease. The Hebron district was considered an epicenter of the outbreak. The first two cases in Gaza City, Gaza were diagnosed on 21 March. On 24 August 2020, confirmed cases outside of quarantine centers were recorded.
The senior United Nations official in the region told the United Nations Security Council in a 23 April 2020 video conference meeting that Israelis and Palestinians are cooperating in unprecedented ways to deal with the pandemic but that Israel must do more to safeguard the health of all people under its control.
According to an analysis by Haaretz on 22 July 2020, there is a concern that a combination of events may cause the situation to spin out of control. Following the severing of security coordination and civilian ties with Israel, the Palestinian Authority stopped coordinating on the treatment of patients with Israel and accepting mail and packages through Israeli ports and severed coordination with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) as well as the Shin Bet. Supervision of border crossings with Israel also stopped. On top of this, the dispute with Israel over tax revenues had a serious economic impact.
On 31 August 2020, according to United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator Jamie McGoldrick, "The deterioration witnessed in recent weeks in the Gaza Strip is of grave concern." He said "Power cuts are severely affecting hospitals as well as critical infrastructure" and called on Israel "to immediately allow the resumption of fuel into the Gaza Strip, in line with its obligations as an occupying power." The vaccination rollout began on 21 March 2021.
Background
On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019. The case fatality ratio for COVID-19 has been much lower than SARS of 2003, but the transmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll.
Vaccines
Dispute over responsibility
International position
According to Professor of International Law Eyal Benvenisti, "Under international law and under Israeli public law, as interpreted by the Israeli Supreme Court, the Israeli government has a duty to ensure that the population in the territories is vaccinated." This is the position taken by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and other Israeli, Palestinian and international human rights organisations. The United Nations (UN) human rights body says that "differential access is "morally and legally" unacceptable under international law laid out in the Geneva Conventions on the regulation of occupied territories." UN experts say international law takes priority over the Oslo accords and that "the fourth Geneva Convention is specific about the duty of the occupying power to provide healthcare" but that Israel often argues it is not an occupying power. Several US senators called on the US government to take some action to force Israel to provide such vaccines.
Israeli position
Under the Oslo Accords, annexe III, article 17, responsibility for vaccines in Gaza and the West bank is explicitly given to the Palestinian Authority Accordingly, Israel's official position is that it is under no legal obligation to provide vaccines to the Palestinian population in those territories. Alan Baker, the director of the International Law Program at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs and one of the drafters of the Oslo accords, has stated that while he believes Israel has "a moral and epidemiological obligation" to provide them, and a self-interest in doing so, there is no legal obligation.
Vaccination rollout
Hamas and the Palestinian Authority have signed up to the WHO and UN backed GAVI program, aimed at the most vulnerable 20 per cent of populations. "We expect something to become available by the end of the first quarter [of 2021], but it's really difficult to predict," said Gerald Rockenschaub, head of the WHO office for the occupied Palestinian territory. Palestinian leaders say they can't afford either of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines. Russia is reported to have offered 4 million doses of its Sputnik V vaccine but details are unknown. On 9 January 2021, Mai Alkaila said that there was no set date for arrival of vaccines, that four vaccine producers companies have been contacted and that 70 per cent of the population would be covered while the World Health Organization would cover 20 per cent. Amnesty has demanded that Israel provide vaccines to Palestinians living in the West Bank but the Palestinian Authority has not asked for Israel assistance. Israeli Health Minister Yuli Edelstein has said that its own citizens must come first and in response to an appeal by Physicians for Human Rights that "Israel bears moral and humanitarian responsibility for vaccinating the Palestinian population under its control," denied any responsibility.
On 10 January 2021, Mai Alkaila said that the Palestinian Authority has authorised the Sputnik V vaccine. The Russian Direct Investment Fund said deliveries to Palestinians would start in February. Health officials say they expect to receive two million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in March. According to Hussein al-Sheikh, the top Palestinian official in charge of coordinating with Israel, the Palestinian Authority asked Israel for up to 10,000 doses of vaccine for frontline medical workers. Mai Alkaila said that health workers would be first to receive any vaccine. On 1 February 2021, it was confirmed that Israel has authorised the transfer of 5000 doses of the Moderna vaccine. According to Haaretz, the first 2000 doses were delivered on 1 February 2021. Palestine is expected to receive 37,000 doses of the PfizerBioNTech vaccine starting in mid-February via COVAX.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Russian ambassador to Palestine Gocha Buachidze, Minister of Health Mai Alkaila said the first batch of 10,000 doses of the Sputnik V vaccine received on 4 February 2021 will be allocated to five thousand mainly medical staff in Palestine. 50,000 more doses are expected during the next week, and that other batches of the Russian vaccine are expected to gradually enter the country during upcoming months. More doses are expected from COVAX, China and other friendly countries. A vaccination program has been developed with WHO.
When the first consignment of 2,000 coronavirus SputnikV vaccines intended for frontline health workers within the Strip did arrived at the frontier on Monday 15 February, its transit was blocked by Israeli border officials. The authority for such shipments ultimately lies with the Israeli Prime Minister's office unit dealing with national security. Officials said the delay in the passage of the medicines was due to the fact that the issue is still under review. On 17 February 2021, Gaza received a thousand doses of the Sputnik vaccine. An initial attempt at delivery had been blocked by Israel.
Israel began vaccinating Palestinian workers on 8 March 2021. Doses have been allocated for 120,000 Palestinian workers who have permits to enter and work in Israel. According to Israeli authorities, as of 11 March, over 50,000 have been vaccinated. As of 18 March 2021, according to COGAT 105,000 had received a first dose and expected to get a second dose in the coming weeks.
By 9 March 2021, for the West Bank and Gaza's 5.2 million inhabitants, roughly 34,700 vaccine units had been delivered, some from Russia and Israel, but over half (20,000) from the United Arab Emirates with these destined for the people of Gaza. The Palestinian Authority was criticised for allocating 10% of doses received for Palestinian VIPs.
On 17 March 2021, Palestine received 38,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and 24,000 of the AstraZeneca vaccine, via the COVAX scheme. The National Vaccine Deployment Plan is scheduled to begin on 21 March 2021. On 29 March 2021, Palestine received 100,000 doses of the Sinopharm BIBP vaccine donated by China, the largest single donation received by Palestine.
According to WHO, as of 15 April 2021, 223,140 vaccine doses have been delivered to the West bank and 83,300 to Gaza with 72,000 doses via COVAX expected on 17 April 2021. As regards the latter, 43,200 doses for the West Bank and 28,800 for Gaza are confirmed as delivered. On 20 April 2021, Mai Alkaila announced the purchase of 4.5 million doses of Pfizer and Sputnik V vaccines for $27.5 million, expected to arrive "soon".
On 18 June 2021, the Israeli Government announced that it had entered into an agreement with the Palestinian Authority to transfer at least one million doses of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to the Palestinian Authority. These vaccines were reportedly scheduled to expire soon. Later that day, the Palestinian Authority cancelled the deal.Palestinian Health Minister Mai al-Kaila justified the cancellation on the grounds that the vaccines' expiry dates were closer than initially claimed by the Israelis and that the Palestinian Authority had rejected Israeli demands that none of the vaccines be transferred to the Gaza Strip and that the contract not be signed by the State of Palestine. Though Israel used the same vaccines for the Israeli teens. South Korea received near expiry date vaccines as part of the swap deal. In June, the Palestinians cancelled a similar deal saying they had been told the jabs "would expire in July or August, but, when they arrived, the marked date was June." The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said that the vaccines are not the same as the ones given to South Korea. Later this statement was retracted and the Agency said it is not in position to comment on this issue as it "concerns diplomatic relations," and "The Korean government is not in the position to comment,"
As of 13 August 2021, about a quarter of Palestinians have been vaccinated, and the number is expected to rise further in coming weeks as new shipments arrive from a deal with Pfizer to purchase 4 million doses. By 29 August 2021, the World Health Organization reported that the Palestinians had received 2.8 million doses with the authorities in the West Bank and Gaza in the process of receiving or negotiating deals to obtain an additional 4.6 million doses. Palestinian officials estimated that more than 1.2 million doses had been administered. Al Jazeera and The New York Times also reported on vaccine hesitancy within the West Bank and Gaza. By 29 August 37% of eligible West Bank residents and 18% of Gaza residents had received at least one vaccine dose.
By 1 September 2021, Reuters reported that the Palestinian Territories had administered 1,340,889 COVID-19 vaccine doses and estimated that 14.9% of the population had received both vaccines.
Outbreaks
Bethlehem
The city of Bethlehem became the first to experience an outbreak with confirmed cases in early March. Bethlehem was locked down on 7 March as 16 cases of infection were found in the West Bank, including nine cases in Bethlehem.
Palestinian refugee camps
The crowded Palestinian refugee camps face a grave threat if coronavirus spreads. On 22 April, a Palestinian from Syria became the first case reported in a refugee camp, located in the Wavel refugee camp in Bekaa, Lebanon. On 24 April, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates (FAE) confirmed 4 more cases in Al-Jalil refugee camp, raising the total to five.
Breakdown by district
The tables below show fortnightly confirmed total COVID-19 cases for Palestine and periodically by Governorates of Palestine. The source data can be referenced on a daily basis. Breakdown for recoveries may lag behind the main total figures reported.
East Jerusalem
According to WHO, cases from East Jerusalem are managed by the East Jerusalem Hospitals Network (EJHN) and hospitals in Israel and 10 testing centres were opened by Israeli health authorities in Shuafat, Shuafat refugee camp, Silwan, Sur Baher, Jabal Mukaber, Beit Safafa, and Jerusalem. EJHN includes six hospitals: Makassed Islamic Charitable Society Hospital, Augusta Victoria Hospital, Palestine Red Crescent Society Hospital, St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group, Jerusalem Princess Basma Centre, and Saint Joseph Hospital. In September 2018 the U.S. cut $25 million in funding, representing 40% of costs for these hospitals.
Israeli officials have expressed concern that the virus might spread in Arab neighbourhoods of East Jerusalem that are part of municipal Jerusalem but on the far side of the West Bank barrier. Kafr Aqab, which has 60–70,000 residents, and Shuafat Refugee Camp with around 80,000 have not been receiving a sufficient level of services.
On 20 May 2020, it was announced that the European Union (€13 million), Finland (€3 million), and Italy (€1 million) are making a contribution totalling €17 million in support of the payment of medical referrals to East Jerusalem Hospitals.
On 17 June 2020, the EU and WHO delivered personal protective equipment and medical items to the EJHN. The delivery includes personal protective equipment and disinfectant items for all six of the network's hospitals including 56,000 pairs of gloves; 10,000 surgical gowns and 1,600 overall gowns and 2,050 shoe covers and 100 medical protective goggles; 6,000 N-95 masks and 115,000 surgical masks and 4,100 face shields; 6,300 bottles of alcogel; 120 thermometers and 200 bottles of alcohol for disinfectant plus disinfectant spray and wipes.