Security forces loyal to Hamas check the papers of an intensive-care ambulance during the coronvirus pandemic, at the Rafah border crossing with Egypt in the southern Gaza Strip, April 13, 2020. Photo by Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90. The Palestinian Health Ministry on Saturday announced the first coronavirus-related death in the Gaza Strip.
The deceased was a 77-year-old woman who had been placed in a special field hospital near the Rafah border crossing after returning to Gaza from Egypt, the ministry said, according to an AP report.
According to the ministry, 35 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Gaza last week, bringing the total to 55.
Hamas, the terrorist group that rules the coastal enclave, has been quarantining all returnees to Gaza from Israel and Egypt. With a population of around 2 million, the territory has only some 60 ventilators, as well as a shortage of medication. There is fear than an outbreak could quickly overwhelm Gaza’s healthcare system
On Friday, mosques were reopened in Gaza after two months of closures, with worshippers bringing their own prayer rugs and masks, and using hand sanitizers, according to the report. However, schools and wedding halls are still closed.
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