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announced on WednesdayÌýit would start making fourth vaccine shots available to all vulnerable people aged over 18, continuing its drive to beat successive virus waves with top-up jabs.

was among the first countries to launch mass immunisation campaigns for its population.

It then began offering booster shots last summer, and has since approved fourth shots for elderly and vulnerable populations.

Ìýfor failing to vaccinateÌýPalestinians living in territories it illegally occupies, which rights have groups have argued is a legal requirement, despite giving jabs to West Bank settlers.

Only a small minority of Palestinians fromÌýthe occupied territories, whose immunisation figures are far lower than Israel's,ÌýhaveÌýbeen jabbedÌýby Tel Aviv.

On Wednesday, health ministry director Nachman Ash announced a new stage in the campaign, saying that all immunocompromised people and frontline workers over 18 would be eligible for a fourth shot.

He cited a study showing that a fourth dose of the Pfizer vaccine causes a three to fivefold increase in the number of antibodies in a vaccinated person, compared to someone who has received three doses.

More than 600,000 Israelis, out of a total population of 9.4 million, have received a fourth dose of vaccine, according to the health ministry's figures.

Both Israel and Palestine haveÌýseen daily new infection rates rocket in recent days as the Omicron variant sweeps the globe.

So far, Israel has recorded 8,502Ìýdeaths due to Covid-19, while has reportedÌý5,061.