Egypt’s COVID-19 Cases Stabilize as Country Readies for Eid

Egyptians gather in front of the Central Public Health Laboratories in downtown Cairo as they wait to get tested for the coronavirus (COVID-19) on March 8, 2020. AFP
Egyptians gather in front of the Central Public Health Laboratories in downtown Cairo as they wait to get tested for the coronavirus (COVID-19) on March 8, 2020. AFP
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Egypt’s COVID-19 Cases Stabilize as Country Readies for Eid

Egyptians gather in front of the Central Public Health Laboratories in downtown Cairo as they wait to get tested for the coronavirus (COVID-19) on March 8, 2020. AFP
Egyptians gather in front of the Central Public Health Laboratories in downtown Cairo as they wait to get tested for the coronavirus (COVID-19) on March 8, 2020. AFP

The Egyptian authorities called on residents to respect precautionary measures during celebrations of Eid Al-Adha as the country's coronavirus cases witnessed a steady decline in the past few days.

On Tuesday, the Egyptian Health Ministry reported 50 new deaths from COVID-19, bringing the death toll to 4,352.

The Ministry said in a statement that 627 new COVID-19 infections were confirmed, raising the total cases registered in the country to 88,402.

In a move to confront the impact of the coronavirus on the economy, the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population signed a cooperation protocol with the National Bank of Egypt (NBE) and Banque Misr to support the health sector with LE 60 million.

Ministry spokesperson Khaled Mujahid said the money will be allocated to purchase a number of CT scans, for the benefit of hospitals designated to receive suspected cases of the novel coronavirus.

Also, the Health Ministry welcomed Parliament’s approval of amendments that increase allowance for medical professionals.

Meanwhile, EgyptAir announced Tuesday it will raise the number of its international destinations to 35 starting August, while increasing domestic trips to stimulate local tourism such as by transporting holiday-makers eager to enjoy the coming Eid holiday, announced the carrier’s chairman Roshdy Zakaria.

This came as the education ministry announced that Egypt's 2020/2021 school year will start on October 17.

However, no decision has yet been taken if students will return to classrooms full-time.



Israeli Airstrikes Kill 11 Palestinians in Gaza

A Palestinian child plays near an unexploded Israeli missile among the rubble of a destroyed building at Khan Younis refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, 28 September 2024. (EPA)
A Palestinian child plays near an unexploded Israeli missile among the rubble of a destroyed building at Khan Younis refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, 28 September 2024. (EPA)
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Israeli Airstrikes Kill 11 Palestinians in Gaza

A Palestinian child plays near an unexploded Israeli missile among the rubble of a destroyed building at Khan Younis refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, 28 September 2024. (EPA)
A Palestinian child plays near an unexploded Israeli missile among the rubble of a destroyed building at Khan Younis refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, 28 September 2024. (EPA)

Israeli military strikes across the Gaza Strip have killed at least 11 Palestinians, health officials in the enclave said on Sunday, as Israeli planes bombarded several northern, central and southern areas.

A school sheltering displaced Palestinians in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip was among buildings hit, killing four people and wounded several others, Gaza medics said.

The Israeli military said it struck Hamas fighters operating from a command center embedded in a compound that had previously served as Um Al-Fahm School. It accused Hamas of exploiting civilian facilities and its population for military purposes, which Hamas denies.

In another strike, three people were killed in a house in Gaza City, medics said. Four others were killed in three separate airstrikes in Nuseirat and Khan Younis in central and southern parts of the Gaza Strip.

Israeli forces pursued their operations in Rafah, near the border with Egypt, and in Gaza City's suburb of Zeitoun, where forces blew up several houses, according to residents and Hamas media.

On Sunday the Israeli military said forces continue the fight in a "multi-front war" and are operating in Gaza to bring Israeli and foreign hostages home and to "dismantle" Hamas.

It said troops discovered and dismantled an underground tunnel route that is approximately 1km long near residential buildings and civilian spaces in central Gaza, adding that they found several rooms and equipment used by Hamas for prolonged periods.

Fighting and Israeli military activities in Gaza have declined in the past week as Israel escalated its military offensive against Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, killing its leader Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike on Friday. The group announced Nasrallah's death on Saturday.

Most of Gaza's population of 2.3 million have been displaced by the war, in which 41,500 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza health authorities.

Israel and Hamas have been fighting since gunmen from the Palestinian group stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and capturing about 250 hostages, going by Israeli tallies.