Israeli forces detained at least 11 Palestinians from the Gaza Strip over the course of 24 hours, local officials and Hebrew media said on Monday. The head of Gaza's Fishermens' Union Nizar Abu Ayyash said Israeli naval forces detained nine Palestinian fishermen, seizing two fishing vessels near the al-Sudaniya coast on Monday. Ayyash said Israeli forces opened fire on the fishermen, before approaching the vessel and detaining the nine men. The detainees were identified as Majed Fadel Bakri, Fadi Majed Baker, Omran Majed Baker, Muhammad Ziyad Baker, Fadi Suhain Baker, Khamis Suhail Baker, Yusri al-Akhsham and Muhammad Nizar Baker. On Sunday, Israeli forces also detained two other Palestinians from the besieged enclave after they were allegedly caught trying to cross into Israel, Hebrew media reported. The reports said the two men were unarmed and that Israeli intelligence believed they were entering Israel to find work. As part of a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian
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