GAZA CITY — A leftist Palestinian faction warned on Tuesday of an "explosion" if the Islamist Hamas movement continues collecting a raft of new taxes in its impoverished Gaza enclave. The rare harsh criticism of the movement that has ruled Gaza since June 2007 came in response to new taxes that the Hamas-run government says are necessary to address a financial "crisis." "The pressure that Hamas forces are exerting in Gaza undermine the idea of improving the steadfastness of our people, who are already exhausted," the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) said. "The increase in pressure and burdens on our citizens in this miserable economic and social reality will give rise to problems and social maladies and will push the youth towards emigration. "It may push society to rebel against these behaviours, but the explosion will be in the face of the perpetrators," it said. more
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