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Palestine’s Health Ministry: Actual COVID-19 Cases Are Three Times the Announced Number

A sign for a restaurant in Bethlehem using the term “Corona” to attract attention (AFP)
A sign for a restaurant in Bethlehem using the term “Corona” to attract attention (AFP)
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Palestine’s Health Ministry: Actual COVID-19 Cases Are Three Times the Announced Number

A sign for a restaurant in Bethlehem using the term “Corona” to attract attention (AFP)
A sign for a restaurant in Bethlehem using the term “Corona” to attract attention (AFP)

Palestine recorded 653 new coronavirus cases and 10 deaths during the past 24 hours, according to the Health Ministry.

The highest number of new infections were reported in Gaza Strip, amounting to 310, according to a statement by Palestinian Health Minister Mai Alkaila.

The minister also said that 40 people are in the Intensive Care Unit, including nine on ventilators, stressing that the number of actual COVID-19 cases in Palestine is three times the numbers that are being announced.

Speaking to the Voice of Palestine official radio station, she said the infection spreading in Palestine, especially in Nablus and Salfit governorates in the West Bank.

The minister attributed this surge in cases to negligence, saying that people are not abiding by the preventive measures and continue to hold events and wedding celebrations.

“Palestine is heading towards a more difficult period if the situation remains unchanged,” she warned.

Kaila pointed out that the COVID-19 vaccine being developed by Pfizer, pending approval by the World Health Organization, will be obtained by Palestine through the COVAX Facility that provides vaccines to low-income countries, such as Palestine, which is a member of the organization.

According to the official figures published by the Health Ministry, the total number of infections has hit 74, 350 since March, including 65,561 recoveries and 634 deaths.

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Iraq's Kataib Hezbollah Warns US Against Intervening in Israel-Iran Conflict

Protesters hold Iranian flags during a protest against Israeli attacks on multiple cities across Iran, at a bridge leading to the fortified Green Zone where the US embassy is located in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
Protesters hold Iranian flags during a protest against Israeli attacks on multiple cities across Iran, at a bridge leading to the fortified Green Zone where the US embassy is located in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
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Iraq's Kataib Hezbollah Warns US Against Intervening in Israel-Iran Conflict

Protesters hold Iranian flags during a protest against Israeli attacks on multiple cities across Iran, at a bridge leading to the fortified Green Zone where the US embassy is located in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
Protesters hold Iranian flags during a protest against Israeli attacks on multiple cities across Iran, at a bridge leading to the fortified Green Zone where the US embassy is located in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)

Iran-aligned Iraqi armed group Kataib Hezbollah warned on Sunday it would resume attacks on US troops in the region if the United States intervenes in the conflict between Israel and Iran.

"We are closely monitoring the movements of the American enemy's army in the region," Kataib Hezbollah Secretary-General Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi said in a statement. "If America intervenes in the war, we will act directly against its interests and bases spread across the region without hesitation."

Founded in the aftermath of the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, Kataib Hezbollah is one of the elite Iraqi armed factions closest to Iran. The group, a key pillar of Iran's network of regional proxy forces, has claimed responsibility for dozens of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and US forces in both Iraq and Syria.

Early last year, Kataib Hezbollah announced the suspension of all its military operations against US troops in the region in response to efforts by the Iraqi government.

Kataib Hezbollah is part of a coalition of Iran-aligned groups known collectively as the "Axis of Resistance" — an umbrella of hardline Shiite armed factions that have claimed more than 150 attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria since the onset of the Gaza war about 20 months ago.

Iraq, a rare ally of both Washington and Tehran, is striving to avoid upsetting its fragile stability while focusing on rebuilding after years of conflict.