The first confirmed cases of coronavirus were detected in the Gaza Strip early on Sunday when two Palestinian men held in a quarantine area near the Rafah border crossing with Egypt were confirmed there to be carriers.
The men had returned the previous day from Pakistan, via Egypt,
Some 2,000 Gazans who returned from abroad are already in self-quarantine; to them were added those who came in contact with the two virus-carriers.
There are no signs as yet of an outbreak in the beleaguered 145 square-mile coastal strip, home to nearly two million people.
Only a month ago, Israel allowed thousands more Palestinian day-workers and traders to leave Gaza daily to make a living in Israel, but on Sunday, the authorities close the Erez crossing for the 7,000 Gazans holding exit permits to prevent the spread of the virus.
For now, the only way in and out of Gaza is through Egypt.
In the last ten days, there have been no rocket launches from Gaza towards Israel as Palestinian factions have observed an unofficial ceasefire due to the outbreak.
Israel has continued to allow health professionals of international organisations into Gaza as the World Health Organisation warned the dilapidated hospitals in the strip could not handle an outbreak there if one took place.
Meanwhile, in the West Bank, there were 59 confirmed cases of coronavirus infection as of Sunday, with the main outbreaks in Bethlehem and Tul Karm.
Israel has also closed crossings from the West Bank and, last Thursday, Palestinian workers were allowed for the last time to enter Israel and remain there for the duration of the closure.
The Palestinian Authority also advised workers employed in the Israeli settlements in the West Bank not to go to work, however hundreds ignored these warnings.
Another closure announced on Sunday was of the Al Aqsa mosque on Temple Mount in Jerusalem, where Israel has tried over the past two weeks to prevent large gatherings for prayers.
On Sunday evening, the Muslim waqf religious council announced that the mosque’s gates would be closed to visitors of all faiths.
The situation has also brought about a rapprochement of sorts between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority, which have not held high-level talks for long months.
Last Wednesday, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas spoke on the phone about the need to coordinate efforts against the pandemic and on the following day the Israeli government authorised the transfer of 120 million shekels (£28.5 million) of Palestinian customs revenues that Israel has been holding due to an accounting dispute.
However, a sum of 650 million shekels (£154 million) that Israel froze last year due to the Palestinian Authority’s payment of benefits — to the families of prisoners and people killed in attacks on Israel — will not be transferred at this point.
