COVID-19 pandemic in Palestine | |
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![]() Empty streets in Salfit in March 2020 | |
Disease | COVID-19 |
Virus strain | SARS-CoV-2 |
Location | State of Palestine |
First outbreak | Wuhan, Hubei, China |
Index case | Bethlehem |
Arrival date | 5 March 2020 (Duration: 4 years, 5 months and 2 weeks) |
Confirmed cases | 703,228[1] |
Active cases | 23,855[citation needed] |
Recovered | 377,793[citation needed] |
Deaths | 5,708[1] |
Vaccinations | |
Government website | |
Official website[a] |
The COVID-19 pandemic in the State of Palestine is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The State of Palestine first identified its cases in the Bethlehem area on 5 March 2020,[2] when a group of Greek tourists who visited a hotel in late February tested positive for the disease.[3] The Hebron district is considered an epicenter of the outbreak. The first two cases in Gaza City, Gaza were diagnosed on 21 March. On 24 August 2020, confirmed cases outside of quarantine centers were recorded.
The senior United Nations official in the region told the Security Council in a 23 April 2020 video conference meeting that Israelis and Palestinians are cooperating in unprecedented ways to deal with the pandemic but that Israel must do more to safeguard the health of all people under its control.[4]
According to an analysis by Haaretz on 22 July 2020, there is a concern that a combination of events may cause the situation to spin out of control. Following the severing of security coordination and civilian ties with Israel, the Palestinian Authority stopped coordinating on the treatment of patients with Israel and accepting mail and packages through Israeli ports and severed coordination with the IDF as well as the Shin Bet. Supervision of border crossings with Israel also stopped. On top of this, the dispute with Israel over tax revenues had a serious economic impact.[5][6]
On 31 August 2020, according to United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator Jamie McGoldrick, "The deterioration witnessed in recent weeks in the Gaza Strip is of grave concern." He said "Power cuts are severely affecting hospitals as well as critical infrastructure." and called on Israel "to immediately allow the resumption of fuel into the Gaza Strip, in line with its obligations as an occupying power."[7] The vaccination rollout began on 21 March 2021.
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