Haaretz - Israeli police stepped up patrols across Jerusalem on Wednesday to prevent possible clashes when Israelis march through the largely Palestinian East Jerusalem, to mark the anniversary of Israel's capture of the area in 1967.
Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld says 3,000 officers, including border police and undercover units, are on patrol.
One of the biggest events of Jerusalem Day will be a march with flags and dancing staged by the religious Zionist community. About 30,000 Israelis are expected to take part in the march through the largely Palestinian neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, past a contentious Jewish enclave there.
Sheikh Jarrah has been the scene of repeated clashes over the last two years due to Arab residents' opposition to Jews moving there. From there, the parade will proceed to the Old City and the Western Wall. 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
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