10 apr 2020

Nash'at Naji al-Mudallal, 55
Nash'at Naji al-Mudallal, a Palestinian who was announced dead from novel COVID-19 (coronavirus) in Ramallah earlier today, was buried amid tight security measures in his hometown of Seida, near the city of Tulkarm in the occupied West Bank.
Doctors and medical staff at Hugo Chafez Hospital in Ramallah, the central West Bank, performed funeral prayer for the 55-year-old man before his body was moved to his hometown for burial.
Al-Mudallal was then laid to rest amid tight security measures with the presence of only four medics wearing protective suits, with the absence of any other participants including his family members.
Palestinian security forces tightly sealed off the cemetery where the man was buried to prevent the access of any individuals to avoid the risk of infection.
The man is the second Palestinian to die from the novel disease ever since the start of the pandemic in the West Bank in early March. Over 263 people have been tested positive for the virus ever since in the West Bank and Gaza.
Palestine confirms second coronavirus death
Palestine on Friday afternoon announced the second death from the novel coronavirus.
Government spokesman Ibrahim Milhem announced that Nash'at Naji al-Mudallal, 55, a resident of Barta'a town, west of Jenin, died several days after contracting the highly infectious coronavirus.
Hailing originally from Seida town, northeast of Tulkarem, al-Mudalal contracted the virus while working at his butcher shop in Barta'a after coming into contract with Israeli merchants.
He was first admitted to Thabet Thabet Hospital in Tulkarem, and, as a result of the seriousness of his condition, given his chronic diseases, he was rushed four days ago to Hugo Chavez Hospital in the Ramallah-district town of Turmus Ayya, where he died.
The first coronavirus fatality was of a woman, in her 60s, from Biddu town, northwest of Jerusalem. She contracted the virus from her son, who used to work in Israel.
Al-Mudalal was laid to his rest today afternoon in his hometown of Seida amidst tightened precautionary restrictions.
Nash'at Naji al-Mudallal, a Palestinian who was announced dead from novel COVID-19 (coronavirus) in Ramallah earlier today, was buried amid tight security measures in his hometown of Seida, near the city of Tulkarm in the occupied West Bank.
Doctors and medical staff at Hugo Chafez Hospital in Ramallah, the central West Bank, performed funeral prayer for the 55-year-old man before his body was moved to his hometown for burial.
Al-Mudallal was then laid to rest amid tight security measures with the presence of only four medics wearing protective suits, with the absence of any other participants including his family members.
Palestinian security forces tightly sealed off the cemetery where the man was buried to prevent the access of any individuals to avoid the risk of infection.
The man is the second Palestinian to die from the novel disease ever since the start of the pandemic in the West Bank in early March. Over 263 people have been tested positive for the virus ever since in the West Bank and Gaza.
Palestine confirms second coronavirus death
Palestine on Friday afternoon announced the second death from the novel coronavirus.
Government spokesman Ibrahim Milhem announced that Nash'at Naji al-Mudallal, 55, a resident of Barta'a town, west of Jenin, died several days after contracting the highly infectious coronavirus.
Hailing originally from Seida town, northeast of Tulkarem, al-Mudalal contracted the virus while working at his butcher shop in Barta'a after coming into contract with Israeli merchants.
He was first admitted to Thabet Thabet Hospital in Tulkarem, and, as a result of the seriousness of his condition, given his chronic diseases, he was rushed four days ago to Hugo Chavez Hospital in the Ramallah-district town of Turmus Ayya, where he died.
The first coronavirus fatality was of a woman, in her 60s, from Biddu town, northwest of Jerusalem. She contracted the virus from her son, who used to work in Israel.
Al-Mudalal was laid to his rest today afternoon in his hometown of Seida amidst tightened precautionary restrictions.

The government's spokesman Ibrahim Milhem confirmed on Friday evening a new case of novel COVID-19 (coronavirus), bringing up the total cases in Palestine to 267.
Milhem said in a statement that the new case belongs to a man from the town of Bani Na'im in Hebron Governorate, south of the occupied West Bank. The man contracted the disease during his work at a cookies factory in Israel.
Of note, most cases confirmed in Palestine so far came from Israel, an epicenter of the disease, or from people who had contact with patients who contracted the disease during their work in Israel.
Palestine confirms three new coronavirus cases
Palestine Friday morning confirmed three new novel coronavirus cases, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the occupied territories to 266.
Speaking in the daily morning briefing, Government spokesman Ibrahim Milhem announced that a young woman, in her 20s, from Halhul city, north of Hebron, tested positive for the deadly virus. She contracted the virus after coming in contact with her infected parents.
He added that the other two cases are for a seven-year-old female child and her 25-year-old sister from Artas village, southwest of Bethlehem.
The child, he elaborated, contracted the virus after being in contact with her mother, who was infected with the virus after coming in contact with her son, who works as maintenance attendant at a bus repair shop in the nearby Israeli colonial settlement of Gush Etzion.
Meanwhile, Milhem noted that the samples for 25 suspected cases from Beit Sakarya village, southwest of Bethlehem, were tested, and the test results were all negative.
He added that the number of COVID-19 patients who recovered increased to 45, including nine in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Milhem said in a statement that the new case belongs to a man from the town of Bani Na'im in Hebron Governorate, south of the occupied West Bank. The man contracted the disease during his work at a cookies factory in Israel.
Of note, most cases confirmed in Palestine so far came from Israel, an epicenter of the disease, or from people who had contact with patients who contracted the disease during their work in Israel.
Palestine confirms three new coronavirus cases
Palestine Friday morning confirmed three new novel coronavirus cases, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the occupied territories to 266.
Speaking in the daily morning briefing, Government spokesman Ibrahim Milhem announced that a young woman, in her 20s, from Halhul city, north of Hebron, tested positive for the deadly virus. She contracted the virus after coming in contact with her infected parents.
He added that the other two cases are for a seven-year-old female child and her 25-year-old sister from Artas village, southwest of Bethlehem.
The child, he elaborated, contracted the virus after being in contact with her mother, who was infected with the virus after coming in contact with her son, who works as maintenance attendant at a bus repair shop in the nearby Israeli colonial settlement of Gush Etzion.
Meanwhile, Milhem noted that the samples for 25 suspected cases from Beit Sakarya village, southwest of Bethlehem, were tested, and the test results were all negative.
He added that the number of COVID-19 patients who recovered increased to 45, including nine in the besieged Gaza Strip.
9 apr 2020

By mid-day today, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said no new coronavirus (COVID-19) cases were recorded and instead gave a breakdown of the cases so far.
Ministry spokesman and director-general for Primary Healthcare Kamal Shakhra said in the daily corona briefing at the Palestinian prime minister’s office in Ramallah that the number of cases in Palestine remains fixed at 263.
Shakhra said that while confirmed cases stood at 263, divided into 250 in the West Bank and 13 in the Gaza Strip, active ones are actually 218 with the full recovery of 44 patients, broken down into 36 in the West Bank and 8 in Gaza Strip, and one death in the West Bank.
The distribution of infected cases was as follow:
- Workers in Israel: 89
- Cases that were in close contact with infected cases: 103
- Infections among travellers: 29
- Cases that were in contact with the tourists in Bethlehem: 40
- Prisoners: 1
- Medical staff: 1
Shakhra said a total of 16,068 tests were conducted since the outbreak of the pandemic in Palestine on March 5.
Ministry spokesman and director-general for Primary Healthcare Kamal Shakhra said in the daily corona briefing at the Palestinian prime minister’s office in Ramallah that the number of cases in Palestine remains fixed at 263.
Shakhra said that while confirmed cases stood at 263, divided into 250 in the West Bank and 13 in the Gaza Strip, active ones are actually 218 with the full recovery of 44 patients, broken down into 36 in the West Bank and 8 in Gaza Strip, and one death in the West Bank.
The distribution of infected cases was as follow:
- Workers in Israel: 89
- Cases that were in close contact with infected cases: 103
- Infections among travellers: 29
- Cases that were in contact with the tourists in Bethlehem: 40
- Prisoners: 1
- Medical staff: 1
Shakhra said a total of 16,068 tests were conducted since the outbreak of the pandemic in Palestine on March 5.

The Palestinian health ministry on Wednesday said that the central laboratory in the Gaza Strip ran out of supplies to process coronavirus (COVID-19) tests, leading to a large backlog of pending tests.
Spokesman for the health ministry Ashraf al-Qudra said that the unavailability of lab supplies to run coronavirus tests presented a new challenge to the health ministry in its efforts to confront the pandemic.
Qudra added that such situation would delay the procedures for ending the isolation of hundreds of quarantined people who gave samples for testing.
He warned of serious repercussions on the health situation in Gaza after many vital medical and lab needs ran out, including 44 percent of essential medicine, 31 percent of medical consumables, and 65 percent of lab materials.
The health official appealed to the world’s free people and international relief organizations to provide Gaza with its medical and lab needs as well as 100 respirators and 140 intensive care beds.
Spokesman for the health ministry Ashraf al-Qudra said that the unavailability of lab supplies to run coronavirus tests presented a new challenge to the health ministry in its efforts to confront the pandemic.
Qudra added that such situation would delay the procedures for ending the isolation of hundreds of quarantined people who gave samples for testing.
He warned of serious repercussions on the health situation in Gaza after many vital medical and lab needs ran out, including 44 percent of essential medicine, 31 percent of medical consumables, and 65 percent of lab materials.
The health official appealed to the world’s free people and international relief organizations to provide Gaza with its medical and lab needs as well as 100 respirators and 140 intensive care beds.
8 apr 2020

The Palestinian Ministry of Health said two new coronavirus cases were confirmed in the West Bank today raising total in Palestine to 263.
It said in the daily briefing that the two confirmed cases were of a Palestinian worker in the southern West Bank city of Hebron returning from Israel and a medic in the northern West Bank city of Nablus.
The majority of the cases are in the West Bank with only 13 in the Gaza Strip. A total of 44 cases have recovered including 36 in the West Bank and eight in the Gaza Strip. One death in the West Bank.
It said in the daily briefing that the two confirmed cases were of a Palestinian worker in the southern West Bank city of Hebron returning from Israel and a medic in the northern West Bank city of Nablus.
The majority of the cases are in the West Bank with only 13 in the Gaza Strip. A total of 44 cases have recovered including 36 in the West Bank and eight in the Gaza Strip. One death in the West Bank.
7 apr 2020

Six new cases of coronavirus were confirmed in the West Bank today, raising total in there to 247, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
With one more case reported late last night in the Gaza Strip, which brings the total there to 13, the total in Palestine stands now at 260.
Ministry spokesman Kamal Shakhra said a 1-year-old child was among the six new cases in the West Bank who got the disease from his infected parents.
A total of 40 children under 18 have tested positive for coronavirus since its outbreak in Palestine in early March and 23 over 60 years.
Palestinian officials have warned that the number of infected people could increase with the return of thousands of Palestinians who work in Israel as the latter shuts down for the Jewish Passover holiday that starts this week.
Israel has around 10,000 confirmed cases and 60 deaths.
A total of 24 cases in Palestine have so far recovered, including 18 in the West Bank and six in Gaza; one death in the West Bank.
With one more case reported late last night in the Gaza Strip, which brings the total there to 13, the total in Palestine stands now at 260.
Ministry spokesman Kamal Shakhra said a 1-year-old child was among the six new cases in the West Bank who got the disease from his infected parents.
A total of 40 children under 18 have tested positive for coronavirus since its outbreak in Palestine in early March and 23 over 60 years.
Palestinian officials have warned that the number of infected people could increase with the return of thousands of Palestinians who work in Israel as the latter shuts down for the Jewish Passover holiday that starts this week.
Israel has around 10,000 confirmed cases and 60 deaths.
A total of 24 cases in Palestine have so far recovered, including 18 in the West Bank and six in Gaza; one death in the West Bank.
6 apr 2020

Palestine Monday evening confirmed a new coronavirus case, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the occupied territories to 253.
Speaking in a daily briefing in Ramallah, Interior Ministry’s spokesman Brigader Ghassan Nimer announced that a new case tested positive for the novel coronavirus. He identified the new case as a resident of Bani Naim town, east of Hebron city.
The confirmed case is one of four workers from the town who worked for a candy factory in Israel and tested positive for the virus. The four workers were among a group of 47 workers who were tested for the virus after returning from their workplaces to the town and forced into home quarantine, Nimer elaborated.
He added that 23 infected cases have recovered, including five cases from the southern districts.
Among the 253 confirmed cases are 167 males and 86 females, including the case of the women, in her 60s, who died a day after she tested positive for the virus in Biddu town, northwest of Jerusalem.
He commented on the situation in the Thabet Thabet government hospital that has been repurposed for virus cases in the northern west Bank city of Tulkarem after an infected man entered the medical facility.
According to Nimer, the 16 medical staff working at the hospital were tested for the virus, and the test results were negative. Nevertheless, they were placed in quarantine at the hospital, and would be retested once again after five days.
He concluded that since the start of the coronavirus outbreak in the Palestinian territories, a total of 13,605 suspected cases were tested, including 1,200 tests that were conducted in the last 24 hours.
Health Ministry confirms 15 new coronavirus cases in West Bank; total in Palestine 252
Fifteen new coronavirus cases were confirmed this morning in the West Bank, raising the total in Palestine to 252, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Ministry spokesman Kamal Shakhra told the daily briefing that 11 cases are from two families in the Biddo, Qatanna and Jdeireh villages, west of Jerusalem, raising the possibility of declaring these areas as infected villages, which means they will be subjected to strict restriction on movement.
Interior Ministry spokesman Ghassan Nimr said Biddo, Qatanna and Jdeireh villages had 99 cases alone, which were mainly caused by social visits. He said Bethlehem district had 52 cases and Ramallah district 58 cases, followed by 13 in the Hebron district, and the rest in other West Bank areas.
Of the total, 40 are children under 18 years of age and 23 above 60. The rest are between the age of 18 and 59.
Shakhra said four corona patients in Bethlehem and Ramallah were admitted to the ICU following complications on their health but that their situation is stable.
Twelve cases are in the Gaza Strip, where six are reported to have recovered, and the rest are in the West Bank, where only 18 have recovered and one death.
(Story updated on 12:10 pm Palestine time with new figure. Previous figure was nine.)
Health Ministry confirms 9 new coronavirus cases in West Bank; total in Palestine 246
Nine new coronavirus cases were confirmed this morning in the West Bank, raising the total in Palestine to 246, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Ministry spokesman Kamal Shakhra told the daily briefing that the nine cases are from two families in the Biddo and Qatanna villages, west of Jerusalem, raising concern that these areas and two others nearby could be declared infected villages, which means they will be subjected to strict restriction on movement.
Interior Ministry spokesman Ghassan Nimr said Biddo and Qatanna villages had 99 cases alone, which were mainly caused by social visits.
He said Bethlehem district had 52 cases and Ramallah district 58 cases, followed by 13 in the Hebron district, and the rest in other West Bank areas.
Of the total, 40 are children under 18 years of age and 23 above 60. The rest are between the age of 18 and 59.
Shakhra said four corona patients in Bethlehem and Ramallah were admitted to the ICU following complications on their health but that their situation is stable.
Twelve cases are in the Gaza Strip, where six are reported to have recovered, and the rest are in the West Bank, where only 18 have recovered and one death.
Speaking in a daily briefing in Ramallah, Interior Ministry’s spokesman Brigader Ghassan Nimer announced that a new case tested positive for the novel coronavirus. He identified the new case as a resident of Bani Naim town, east of Hebron city.
The confirmed case is one of four workers from the town who worked for a candy factory in Israel and tested positive for the virus. The four workers were among a group of 47 workers who were tested for the virus after returning from their workplaces to the town and forced into home quarantine, Nimer elaborated.
He added that 23 infected cases have recovered, including five cases from the southern districts.
Among the 253 confirmed cases are 167 males and 86 females, including the case of the women, in her 60s, who died a day after she tested positive for the virus in Biddu town, northwest of Jerusalem.
He commented on the situation in the Thabet Thabet government hospital that has been repurposed for virus cases in the northern west Bank city of Tulkarem after an infected man entered the medical facility.
According to Nimer, the 16 medical staff working at the hospital were tested for the virus, and the test results were negative. Nevertheless, they were placed in quarantine at the hospital, and would be retested once again after five days.
He concluded that since the start of the coronavirus outbreak in the Palestinian territories, a total of 13,605 suspected cases were tested, including 1,200 tests that were conducted in the last 24 hours.
Health Ministry confirms 15 new coronavirus cases in West Bank; total in Palestine 252
Fifteen new coronavirus cases were confirmed this morning in the West Bank, raising the total in Palestine to 252, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Ministry spokesman Kamal Shakhra told the daily briefing that 11 cases are from two families in the Biddo, Qatanna and Jdeireh villages, west of Jerusalem, raising the possibility of declaring these areas as infected villages, which means they will be subjected to strict restriction on movement.
Interior Ministry spokesman Ghassan Nimr said Biddo, Qatanna and Jdeireh villages had 99 cases alone, which were mainly caused by social visits. He said Bethlehem district had 52 cases and Ramallah district 58 cases, followed by 13 in the Hebron district, and the rest in other West Bank areas.
Of the total, 40 are children under 18 years of age and 23 above 60. The rest are between the age of 18 and 59.
Shakhra said four corona patients in Bethlehem and Ramallah were admitted to the ICU following complications on their health but that their situation is stable.
Twelve cases are in the Gaza Strip, where six are reported to have recovered, and the rest are in the West Bank, where only 18 have recovered and one death.
(Story updated on 12:10 pm Palestine time with new figure. Previous figure was nine.)
Health Ministry confirms 9 new coronavirus cases in West Bank; total in Palestine 246
Nine new coronavirus cases were confirmed this morning in the West Bank, raising the total in Palestine to 246, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Ministry spokesman Kamal Shakhra told the daily briefing that the nine cases are from two families in the Biddo and Qatanna villages, west of Jerusalem, raising concern that these areas and two others nearby could be declared infected villages, which means they will be subjected to strict restriction on movement.
Interior Ministry spokesman Ghassan Nimr said Biddo and Qatanna villages had 99 cases alone, which were mainly caused by social visits.
He said Bethlehem district had 52 cases and Ramallah district 58 cases, followed by 13 in the Hebron district, and the rest in other West Bank areas.
Of the total, 40 are children under 18 years of age and 23 above 60. The rest are between the age of 18 and 59.
Shakhra said four corona patients in Bethlehem and Ramallah were admitted to the ICU following complications on their health but that their situation is stable.
Twelve cases are in the Gaza Strip, where six are reported to have recovered, and the rest are in the West Bank, where only 18 have recovered and one death.