The Qatari envoy to Gaza, Mohammed al-Emadi, is scheduled to arrive in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday evening in an effort to calm the tensions between Hamas and Israel. Al-Emadi is first scheduled to meet with senior Israeli defense officials on Tuesday and will subsequently visit the Strip through the Erez border crossing. Meanwhile, Hamas imposed a two-day full lockdown on the Gaza Strip on Monday evening for the first time since the pandemic began due to the confirmation of coronavirus cases within the Strip, Israel Hayom reported. All mosques, halls, educational institutions are banned from opening and gatherings of any kind are strictly forbidden. The Strip has avoided an outbreak of the coronavirus until now, with all cases in Gaza to date found in Gazans returning from abroad. Since all residents from abroad were required to quarantine in facilities by the Rafah crossing with Egypt for 21 days before they entered the Strip, there were no reports of cases within the Strip itself. However, following the return of over 1,800 Gazans from abroad at the beginning of the month, there has been a slight increase in cases and four cases were now confirmed in the Strip itself – among members of one family in the al-Maghazi refugee camp. Gaza has officially recorded 109 confirmed coronavirus cases since the beginning of the pandemic, of which 37 cases are currently active. There has been one fatality, a woman with preexisting health conditions. Hamas sent a request to the WHO on Tuesday for medical assistance as well as the transfer of medical equipment to the Strip due to the outbreak. Hamas also requested that the Palestinian Authority take responsibility for Gaza residents. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

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