Gaza: A high-level Bahraini delegation will arrive in Gaza today to open two UNRWA schools, the enclave’s Hamas rulers said on Tuesday, denying it would be led by one of the princes. “A high-level Bahraini delegation will visit Gaza on Thursday headed by Mustafa Al Syed, Secretary-General of the Bahraini Royal Charity Organisation (RCO),” said a statement issued by Taher Al Nunu, spokesman for the Gaza government. The statement was issued shortly after two separate sources - one close to the Hamas government and another from the UN refugee agency - said the delegation would be led Shaikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, a son of the Bahraini king. Government sources in Manama also denied claims that Shaikh Hamad would visit Gaza, saying the delegation had already set off under the leadership of Syed. 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