Sarkozy got a thank you from Netanyahu for his hardline stance on Iran when Israel announced that a French company would be allowed into the besieged strip to construct a new hospital. Assuming the Israelis don't go back on their promise, it should herald the first time that any construction materials have been allowed into Gaza since the recent war. Let's hope the Israelis don't destroy it a some point in the future with any more of their war crimes. For the first time since Operation Cast Lead Israel will allow the transfer of construction materials into the Gaza Strip for the purpose of setting up a new hospital, Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Wednesday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to approve the transfer of materials following his meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy last week. During the meeting, which was held amidst the UN General Assembly session, Sarkozy asked Netanyahu to allow the Palestinians to build the medical facility after securing pr
Until now, the besieged Gaza Strip has stayed free of the novel coronavirus spreading across the world. As the Gaza Strip has been under a stringent Israeli-led blockade for nearly 13 years, the spread of the coronavirus - officially known as COVID-19 - has become the topic of discussion for many Palestinians, with some joking that the blockade was preventing them from being exposed.But as authorities in the coastal Palestinian enclave gear up to contain any potential outbreak, serious questions have arisen about the risks and implications of such a scenario. But given its already difficult humanitarian situation and high population density, an outbreak in the Gaza Strip could prove to be catastrophic, health officials have warned. "If the virus enters Gaza and spreads, it will get out of hand," Gaza Ministry of Health spokesperson Majdi Thuhair told Middle East Eye, as he explained that a severe shortage of resources and personnel would make it near impossible