One thousand doses of the Russian-developed Sputnik-V coronavirus vaccines were delivered to Gaza on Wednesday morning from the Palestinian Authority via the Erez land crossing with Israel.
The vaccines were brought to the Israeli side of the Palestinian Authority border through the Beituniya crossing, and then on to the Gaza, with the approval of the Israeli government.
The family of the late IDF Lt. Hadar Goldin, z”l, petitioned Israel’s High Court of Justice to stop the transfer of coronavirus vaccines to Gaza until the enclave’s ruling Hamas terrorist organization returns the body of their dead son and that of IDF Sgt. Oron Shaul, z”l.
The terrorists stole the soldiers’ bodies when they fell in action during an attack that took place during a ceasefire in the final moments of the 2014 summer war with Hamas. Both bodies are still being held by the terrorists in Gaza, along with two civilian hostages who are still presumed to be alive.
“This government is . . . abandoning the boys,” the Goldin family charged, Israel’s Channel 13 television news team reported.
Negotiations for the release of the captives held by Hamas are continuing, government officials contend.