The state-run Qatari Committee to Rebuild Gaza announced on Twitter today that Qatar will be sending $150 million in aid to the besieged Gaza Strip to support United Nations humanitarian programs and efforts to help combat the new coronavirus outbreak. Turkey also pledged material and financial assistance to Gaza. Meanwhile, a WHO delegation arrived in Gaza on Sunday to assess the situation.
The emergency aid, which will cover a period of six months, comes after the Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed the first two cases of COVID-19 in Gaza on Sunday, identifying the individuals as Palestinians who had travelled to Pakistan and were held in quarantine on their return.
More than 1,270 people are quarantined in hospitals, hotels and schools after crossing into Gaza from Israel and Egypt, the ministry said.
The Gaza Strip has already seen public markets, schools, and event halls closed over the past two weeks to reduce the risk of transmitting the virus, according to Reuters.
Authorities in Gaza have also decided to shut down the enclave’s restaurants, cafes and reception halls. Friday prayers at mosques have also been suspended until further notice.
In addition, the World Health Organization today transferred dozens of test kits for the coronavirus and protective gear for medical teams to the Gaza Strip.
WHO has warned Gaza’s healthcare system would not be able to deal with an outbreak, given that the Strip’s hospitals are overstretched and under-resourced.
According to the head of WHO’s sub-office in Gaza, Abdelnasser Soboh, Gaza is only prepared to handle the first 100 cases of the virus: “After that, it will need further support.”
While no deaths from the virus have been reported in the Palestinian areas, in the West Bank, the Palestinian government previously announced that 55 people have been infected, 17 of whom have recovered.
Due to the ongoing land, air and sea blockade that has been imposed on Gaza by Israel for the last 13 years, Gazans have been suffering from a shortage of medical supplies and drugs. The Strip is already living on a supply of medical goods which only meets half its needs.
WHO delegation in Gaza after first 2 cases test positive for COVID-19
A World Health Organization delegation arrived in the Gaza Strip on Sunday to assess the situation after the Gazan health ministry announced that two people have tested positive for coronavirus, the Palestinian news agency Shehab reported.
Headed by the director of the WHO office in Palestine, Gerald Rockenschaub, the delegation entered Gaza through the Erez Crossing.
This visit comes hours after the Palestinian Ministry of Health announced it discovered the first two COVID-19 case in the Gaza Strip in the early hours of Sunday.
In the West Bank, the Palestinian government previously announced that 55 people have been infected, 17 of whom have recovered.
Due to the ongoing land, air and sea blockade that has been imposed on Gaza by Israel for the last 13 years, Gazans have been suffering from a shortage of medical supplies and drugs. The Strip is already living on a supply of medical goods which only meets half its needs.
Turkey and Qatar offer support to Palestinians in virus crisis
The Head of the Hamas Political Bureau announced on Sunday said that Turkey and Qatar are ready to help the Palestinians in their fight against coronavirus.
“I have called several heads of state and officials,” explained Ismail Haniyeh, “namely Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Qatari Emir Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani who both pledged to support our people in their battle against this pandemic.”
Haniyeh added that Turkey and Qatar pledged material and financial assistance. In Erdogan’s case, this means “everything” that Turkey is able to do.
Hamas announced this morning that the Qatari Emir has pledged $150m for the Palestinians as part of its aid programs, including those carried out by UNRWA.
Meanwhile, Haniyeh added that Hamas and the Palestinian Authority have declared a state of emergency and formed a High Action Committee against Coronavirus to coordinate the official response. He called for an end to the Israeli-led siege, which has been in place for 14 years, warning that it will undermine efforts to curb the spread of the virus.
On Saturday evening, the Health Ministry in Gaza announced that two Palestinians had tested positive for coronavirus. The two were immediately put in a quarantine center at the Rafah Crossing where they entered the coastal enclave from Egypt.
