GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Dozens of Palestinian youth demonstrated in Gaza City Saturday in protest of Israel's so-called Prawer Plan to displace Bedouin residents of Negev. Demonstrators raised posters rejecting the Prawer Plan and other Israeli practices against the Palestinian people. The rally was organized by Gaza Strip's Intifada Youth Coalition in conjunction with an international "day of rage" against the Prawer Plan. "We are sending a message to our people in the Negev, asserting that they are a part and parcel of us, despite the occupation's plans to displace them and exile them from Palestine," coalition spokeswoman Shurouq Mahmoud said in a statement. 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