Mon 30 March 2020:
Qatar will be sending $150 million in aid to the besieged Gaza Strip to support United Nations humanitarian programmes and efforts to help combat the new coronavirus outbreak, the state-run Qatari Committee to Rebuild Gaza said in a statement.
The emergency aid, which will cover a period of six months,
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 Organisation 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.
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.
Meanwhile The Palestinian government confirmed six new coronavirus cases in the occupied West Bank on Sunday.
In a statement, a government spokesman said the new patients included five members of the same family in the town of Qatanna.
The new infections bring the number of coronavirus cases in Palestine to 104, including nine cases in the Gaza Strip.
Data compiled by the US-based Johns Hopkins University shows worldwide infections over 665,000 mark with over 30,800 deaths. More than 141,700 have recovered from infections. After first appearing in Wuhan, China in December, the virus has spread to 177 countries and regions.
So far, nine out of the 103 coronavirus cases confirmed in the Palestinian territories have been confirmed in the Gaza Strip.
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