Israel to send thousands of vaccines to Gaza after border breach

Israel will deliver thousands of vaccines for cattle and avian-borne diseases to the Gaza Strip because of fears the recent breach of Gaza's border with Egypt will bring a wave of sickness to the coastal area, Israeli officials said.

Hamas militants blew the border open last week to release the pressure of a six-month blockade of Gaza. Egypt has since been struggling to regain control, but the frontier has remained open and Gazans have brought in supplies and livestock, including large numbers of camels, sheep, cows and chickens.

Israeli authorities fear that along with the new influx of livestock will come a wave of diseases not indigenous to Gaza, among them foot-and-mouth disease and the avian flu that are known to exist in Egypt. Because of the proximity between Gaza's population to Israeli towns, the diseases could easily spread into Israel.

Those fears fueled Israel's decision to send thousands of vaccines into Gaza beginning next week, said Shadi Yassin, a spokesman for Israel Defense Forces unit in charge of contacts with Gaza.

"It is a very very dangerous situation, and it can cause fatalities if we don't take care of it right now," Yassin said. "We will be notified immediately if the Palestinians find any discovery of these diseases inside Gaza."

Officials from Gaza's Agriculture Ministry could not estimate the number of animals brought into Gaza, as most have been stashed away in backyards or are being saved for personal consumption. The officials said the numbers were minimal, but admitted they were unsure.

"I don't think they bought birds. Most of it was red meat," Agriculture Ministry official Tarek Sakher said.