New COVID-19 restrictions will be imposed in the Gaza Strip as Hamas authorities weigh how to combat a wave of coronavirus infections in the Palestinian enclave, the Hamas-run Interior Ministry announces.
Gaza has 10,321 active cases, and 827 were recorded over the past 24 hours. Around 32% of coronavirus tests came back positive over the past day.
Mosques, schools, universities and nurseries will all be closed for the foreseeable future, a nightly curfew is being imposed starting at 6 p.m., and on Friday and Saturday there will be a total lockdown across the Gaza Strip, says Interior Ministry spokesperson Iyad al-Bozm.
“We considered imposing a full lockdown, but we decided against it, given the burdens it imposes,” al-Bozm sais.
Around 88% of hospital beds with ventilators for coronavirus patients in critical condition were occupied as of this morning, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry reported last night.
Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qidra said authorities estimated that another 17,000 Gazans exposed to the virus have been ordered to quarantine.
“The reality is, we are in an extremely dangerous stage,” al-Qidra said.
— Aaron Boxerman
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Thursday, December 3, 2020
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
