The Spread of Covid-19 in Gaza Strip, Judea and Samaria (Updated to September 7, 2020).

Overview

• The situation in the Gaza Strip:
  • In the Gaza Strip the sharp rise in the active number of Covid-19 cases continued this past week. Since the detection of the first four cases inside the Gaza Strip two weeks ago the number of active cases has skyrocketed from 36 to 1,054 (most of them inside the local population).
  • The Hamas administration has taken a variety of preventive measures, including a lockdown of the northern Gaza Strip and Gaza City, the two main epicenters of the disease. On the other hand, preventive measures were recently eased in the other districts and in some neighborhoods in Gaza City. The Hamas police and security forces would seem to strictly enforce the public health preventive measures, but so far they are apparently insufficient to stop the rapid spread of the virus.
  • The spokesman for the ministry of health in Gaza said that the spike continues to rise out of control. He linked the increase in the number of cases to non-observance of public health directives. However, despite the loss of control, Hamas and the ministry of health spokesman have so far refrained from blaming and/or threatening Israel (as they have in the past). That may be the result of the lull recently reached in the Gaza Strip coupled with the sense that they may stop the spread of the disease.
  • A delegation of Palestinian Authority (PA) ministers, headed by Mai al-Kayla, minister of health, entered the Gaza Strip through the Erez Crossing. Twenty trucks carrying drugs and medical equipment are supposed to reach the Gaza Strip (through Israel). This is the first demonstration of its kind of PA-Hamas solidarity since the outbreak of the Covid-19 crisis.
• The situation in Judea and Samaria:
  • This past week the number of active cases in Judea and Samaria rose slightly (to 8,230, up from 7,086 a week ago). There is apparently a trend towards the flattening of the curve, but the total number of active cases continues to be high, far higher than in the first wave.
  • According to data from the PA, this past week the number of active cases in east Jerusalem declined and stood at 1,779 (compared with 1,459 cases reported by the Jerusalem municipality). Most cases are in the neighborhoods of A-Tor, Bayt Hanina, the Old City and Kafr ‘Aqab. It can be assumed that the number of cases is higher, given the avoidance of testing and the lack of systematic reporting.
  • In the various districts, regional and local preventive measures continue. Most of the effort is invested in preventing weddings and other large gatherings. The police broke up wedding parties, closed reception venues, and detained singers and DJs.

The Gaza Strip

Extent of Covid-19 infection

This past week the number of cases inside the Gaza Strip skyrocketed with the detection of 795 new active cases. The number of active cases in the Gaza Strip now stands at 1,054, of which 1,024 live inside the Gaza Strip and 30 were detected when they returned from abroad. As of September 7, 2020, nine people have died, eight inside the Gaza Strip and one a returnee. The epicenters of the disease are the northern Gaza Strip and Gaza City, whose lockdowns are enforced by Hamas’ security forces.

The increase in infection over the past week

The increase of active Covid-19 cases inside the Gaza Strip: Overview

• September 7, 2020: The ministry of health reported the detection of 182 new active cases inside the Gaza Strip, bringing the total number to 1,054 (1,024 inside the Gaza Strip proper and 30 who returned from abroad). There have been 89 recoveries (Dunia al-Watan, September 7, 2020).
• September 6, 2020: The detection of 162 new cases was reported (158 inside the Gaza Strip and four among those who returned from abroad). The total number of active cases stood at 873 (843 inside the Gaza Strip, 30 who returned from abroad). There were 89 recoveries (Dunia al-Watan, September 6, 2020).

• September 5, 2020: The detection of 110 new cases was reported. The total number of active cases stood at 713 (687 inside the Gaza Strip, 26 who returned from abroad) (Facebook page of the medical committee of the ministry of health in Gaza for combatting Covid-19, September 5, 2020).
• September 4, 2020: The detection of 116 new cases was reported. The total number of active cases stood at 603 (577 inside the Gaza Strip, 26 who returned from abroad) (Facebook page of the medical committee of the ministry of health in Gaza for combatting Covid-19, September 4, 2020).
• September 3, 2020: The detection of 98 new cases was reported. The total number of active cases stood at 500 (463 inside the Gaza Strip, 37 who returned from abroad) (Facebook page of the medical committee of the ministry of health in Gaza for combatting Covid-19, September 3, 2020).
• September 2, 2020: The detection of 83 new cases was reported. The total number of active cases stood at 402 (365 inside the Gaza Strip, 37 who returned from abroad) (Facebook page of the medical committee of the ministry of health in Gaza for combatting Covid-19, September 2, 2020).
• September 1, 2020: The detection of 44 new cases was reported. The total number of active cases stood at 319 (2867 inside the Gaza Strip, 33 who returned from abroad) (al-Ra’i news agency, September 1, 2020).

Dr. Ashraf al-Qidra, spokesman for the ministry of health in the Gaza Strip, said the Covid-19 curve continues to rise and so far has not been brought under control. The ministry of health, he said, is taking every possible measure to contain the spread of the disease. He added that every day more than 100 new active cases were being detected. He said the discrepancy in the number of infections and the spread of the epidemic from district to district reflected the commitment of the local residents to implementing preventive measures. He stressed that the indifference and weakness of some local residents and their lack of awareness of the dangerous nature of the virus would have serious consequences for their health and lives. He said the ministry of health had not yet contained or controlled the spread of the virus (Dunia al-Watan, September 5, 2020).

Preventive measures

• On September 2, 2020, Iyad al-Buzum, spokesman for the ministry of the interior in Gaza, announced the continuation of the lockdown of the northern Gaza Strip and the Gaza City district, new public health instructions and a 48-hour extension of the lockdown in the districts of central Gaza, Khan Yunis and Rafah. He added that the decision was made to have more strict preventive measures in the northern Gaza Strip (where most of the active cases are located. the main streets leading to the district will be closed to civilian traffic, and only Salah al-Din Street (the Gaza Strip’s main north-south road) would remain open for emergencies (al-Ra’i news agency, September 2, 2020). The naval police in the northern Gaza Strip informed fishermen, who returned to work on September 2, 2020, that fishing would be banned for the next 48 hours (Filastin al-A’an Twitter account, September 3, 2020).

   
Enforcing the shutdown in the northern Gaza Strip
(Facebook page of photojournalist Anas al-Sharif, September 3, 2020).

 
Right: Yahya al-Sinwar, head of the Hamas political bureau in the Gaza Strip pays a visit to the northern Gaza Strip (Facebook page of photojournalist Anas al-Sharif, September 3, 2020). Left: The empty Gaza beach (Twitter account of Saleh Qarmut, September 3, 2020).

 
Earthworks on al-Nasr Street in Gaza City prevent the passage of vehicles between Gaza City and the northern Gaza Strip (Dunia al-Watan, September 4, 2020).

• On the evening of September 3, 2020, Iyad al-Buzum announced that stricter preventive measures would be enforced in the Gaza district and several neighborhoods would be separated from one another because of the rise in the number of the active cases. He warned local residents in all the districts to follow public health directives and to keep off the streets and roads between 20:00 at night and 07:00 in the morning. He stressed that legal measures would be instituted against anyone who disobeyed the directives (website of the ministry of the interior in Gaza, September 3, 2020).
• On September 5, 2020, Iyad al-Buzum announced the easing of preventive measures in the Rafah district, the Khan Yunis district and the central Gaza district. However, in all three districts, he said, there are still places where the easing of measures does not apply. He stressed that movement in the districts would be permitted between 07:00 in the morning and 20:00 at night.
• Iyad al-Buzum said all schools, mosques, universities, malls, reception venues, clubs, parks and markets, public and private, would remain closed. The said the maximum occupancy of closed areas was 10 people and of open areas, 20, including in the districts where preventive measures had been eased.

   
Commerce in Khan Yunis after the decision to ease the preventive measures in the district
(Safa, September 6, 2020).

Managing the Covid-19 crisis

• Khalil al-Haya, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, said the Covid-19 crisis is being managed by a “crisis cell.” The members of the cell are representatives from the Hamas administration, senior Hamas figures and members of the Legislative Council (Dunia al-Watan TV and al-Ra’i news agency, September 5, 2020).
• The ministry of the interior in Gaza announced the absorption of 528 new ministry employees for a period of three months, of the 2,500 employees who would be hired in the near future (website of the ministry of the interior in Gaza, September 3, 2020). Khalil al-Haya, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, said some of the money donated by Qatar would be used to pay their salaries.
• The ministry of labor in Gaza announced it had supplied the ministry of health with 336 employees for a period of six months, 234 of whom had medical knowledge, paid for by Switzerland. One hundred and two employees in service positions will be paid by the local administration (al-Ra’i news agency, September 6, 2020).

The PA delegation’s visit to the Gaza Strip

On September 4, 2020, a delegation of PA ministers, headed by Mai al-Kayla, minister of health, entered the Gaza Strip through the Erez Crossing for the first PA ministers’ visit since the outbreak of the Covid-19 crisis. The objective of the visit was to demonstrate solidarity and examine the Gaza Strip’s needs. Twenty trucks of drugs and medical equipment are expected to arrive in the Gaza Strip (having left the offices of the ministry of health in Ramallah on September 3, 2020) (Fatah media, September 3, 2020).

• The delegation met with members of the Hamas administration, district governors and Fatah figures, including Ahmed Hiles, a member of Fatah’s Central Committee (Dunia al-Watan, September 5, 2020). On September 5 the delegation held a joint meeting of epidemiological teams from the West Bank and Gaza (Facebook page of the ministry of health in Ramallah, September 5, 2020). The delegation also visited the Shifaa Hospital in Gaza City and met with representatives of NGOs and human rights organizations (Wafa, September 6, 2020).

Aid for the Gaza Strip

• The French organization Médecins du monde gave the ministry of health in Gaza drugs, PPE and medical equipment for treating Covid-19 in the European Hospital (website of the ministry of health in Gaza, August 31, 2020).
• Mohammed al-Emadi, chairman of Qatar’s National Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza, announced that the Committee, in coordination with the Qatar Development Fund, had given the ministry of health in Gaza a new PCR machine for Covid-19 detection, as well as 20,000 swabs, at a cost of $150,000. A senior figure in the ministry of health in Gaza said the new machine could detect Covid-19 within 45 minutes, compared with the old machine, which gave results after three to five hours (Committee website, September 1, 2020; website of the ministry of health in Gaza, September 1, 2018).
• On September 1, 2020, the Relief Association 48 – Islamic Movement^[1] in Israel, gave the ministry of health in Gaza 1,000 kits for the rapid detection of Covid-19. The chairman of the society, Dr. Ali al-Qatnani, said it was the beginning of a campaign called “We will not leave Gaza by itself,” which the society had launched among Israeli Arabs (Dunia al-Watan, September 2, 2020).

Judea and Samaria

Extent of Covid-19 infection

As of September 6, 2020, number of active cases in Judea and Samaria stood at 8,230, up from 7,086 a week ago. Most of the active cases are in the Hebron district (3,706, up from 3,291 a week ago). The total number of Covid-19 cases since its outbreak was 25,158, as of September 6, 2020. This past week 3,211 new cases were detected. The number of deaths is 173. According to reports from the PA, this past week were was a decline in the number of active cases in east Jerusalem, and as of September 6, 2020, it stood at 1,779, down from 2,150 a week ago.

Covid-19 infection in Judea and Samaria since August 19, 2020

Geographic Distribution of COVID-19 Epicenters

Overview

The distribution of active cases in the PA (8,230), by district, as of September 6, 2020, was as follows: Hebron, 3,706; Ramallah-al-Bireh, 1,166; the villages around Jerusalem, 850; Bethlehem, 815; Qalqilya, 581; Nablus, 403; Jericho, 397; Tulkarm, 130; Jenin, 74, Salfit, 57; and Tubas, 52.

Distribution of active COVID-19 cases by district

Hebron district

After the number of active cases declined last week, this past week it rose again, and as of September 6, 2020 there were 3,706 active cases, up from 3,291 a week ago. Of all active cases in Judea and Samaria, 45% are in the Hebron district, similar to last week.

Active cases in the Hebron district

• On September 3, 2020, Jibrin al-Bakri, governor of the Hebron district, decided to close the girls’ high school in the al-Fawwar refugee camp (south of Hebron) until September 13, 2020 because a number of Covid-19 cases were detected. The students and teaching staff will home-quarantine (Ma’an, September 3, 2020).

Bethlehem district

The number of active cases in the Bethlehem district rose to 815, up from 547 a week ago.

• On September 3, 2020, Kamel Hamid, governor of the Bethlehem district, opened a new medical center for the local population in the town of Husan (Kamel Hamid’s Facebook page, September 3, 2020).

   
Kamel Hamid opens a new medical center in the town of Husan
(Kamel Hamid’s Facebook page, September 3, 2020).

Nablus district

The number of active cases in the Nablus district rose to 403, up from 347 a week ago.

•  Ibrahim Ramadan, governor of the Nablus district, announced a three-day lockdown in Bayt Furiq after 17 new Covid-19 cases were detected (Facebook page of the Nablus district, September 4, 2020).
• The Palestinian police, with the help of the Palestinian security services, broke up wedding parties in four towns in the Nablus district. The police also contacted the owners of reception venues and cancelled weddings. An employee and a number of singers were detained.

Salfit district

The number of active cases in the Salfit district rose to 57, up from 31 a week ago.

Ramallah district

The curve is flattening in the Ramallah district but the number of active cases is still high. This past week there were 1,166 active cases, up from 1,059 a week ago.

Jenin district

The number of active cases in the Jenin district rose to 74, up from 32 a week ago.

• On September 6, 2020, Akram al-Rajoub, governor of the Jenin district, announced the lifting of the lockdown of the village of Burqin (west of Jenin). However, he announced a 48-hour lockdown of a village south of Jenin after four active cases were detected (Akram al-Rajoub’s Facebook page, September 6, 2020).
• On September 4, 2020, the police broke up 13 wedding parties, closed eight wedding halls, and detained a groom and DJ. On September 5, 2020, the police broke up seven wedding parties, closed two reception venues and detained two DJs (website of the Palestinian police in Ramallah, September 5 and 6, 2020).

Tulkarm district

The number of active cases in the Tulkarm district rose to 130, up from 88 last week.

• On the evening of September 3, 2020, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in the village of Alar in the Tulkarm district held a mass reception for PIJ terrorist operative Jalal Nazi’a Gha’ar, released after serving a term of 15 year in an Israeli jail. Senior PIJ figure Khader Adnan gave a speech (PIJ website, September 4, 2020). There were no masks and no social distancing.

   
Reception held in Alar for the released PIJ operative. No masks, no social distancing (PIJ website, September 4, 2020).

Qalqilya district

The number of active cases in the Qalqilya district rose to 581, up from 485 a week ago.

• On September 6, 2020, the ministry of health in Ramallah announced the Omar al-Qassem Hospital in the village of Azoun, in the eastern part of the Qalqilya district, would be transformed into a center for the treatment of Covid-19 patients. The ministry will provide all the logistic necessities and qualified medical personnel in the coming days (Wafa, September 6, 2020).
• The police and Palestinian security services broke up ten wedding parties and a mourning tent in the city of Qalqilya and in a number of villages in the district (website of the Palestinian police, September 6, 2020).
• On the evening of September 5, 2020, the office of Rafi’ Rawajba, the governor of the Qalqilya district, announced the decision to lock down the city of Qalqilya for 72 hours to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The security services were instructed to strictly enforce public health measures, and steps will be taken against felons (Rafi’ Rawajba’s Facebook page, September 5, 2020).

The villages around Jerusalem

The number of active cases in the villages around Jerusalem continues to rise, with 850 active cases, up from 755 a week ago.

The East Jerusalem Neighborhoods

According to PA reports, as of September 6, 2020, the number of active cases in the east Jerusalem neighborhoods continued to decline. The number of active cases stood at 1,779, down from 2,150 a week ago. According to Jerusalem municipality reports, the number of active cases as of September 7, 2020, was 1,459.

The number of active Covid-19 cases in the east Jerusalem neighborhoods, according to PA reports (since the beginning of August 2020)

The number of active Covid-19 cases in Jerusalem, according to PA reports (since the beginning of July 2020)

Covid-19 infection in the east Jerusalem neighborhoods (according to the Jerusalem municipality, September 7, 2020)

PA Activity

• On September 4, 2020, Mahmoud Abbas issued an edict extending the state of emergency in the PA territories for an additional 30 days, beginning on September 4, 2020 (Mahmoud Abbas’ Facebook page, September 4, 2020).
• The new school year in the schools in the PA and east Jerusalem opened on September 6,2020, with the return of hundreds of thousands of students to school (there are 743,000 Palestinian school children in Judea and Samaria). Classes will be held following strict Palestinian public health guidelines. Studies will begin gradually, with the first through fourth grades, and two weeks all the other students will go back to school. Classes will combine a small number of children and online instruction. Given the spread of Covid-19 in the Gaza Strip, the schools there remain closed (Arabs48 website, September 6, 2020).

   
The elementary school year begins in the PA, with preventive measures in lace. Right: Hebron. Left: al-Bireh (Wafa, September 6, 2020).

 

^[1] Known as the Islamic Association for the Support of Orphans and the Needy. It is affiliated with the Islamic Movement in Israel, and opened its offices in the Gaza Strip at the end of 2019. ↑

Related Articles