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Egypt's Awqaf Urges Citizens to Abide by Coronavirus Precautions

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 Awqaf Urges Citizens to Abide by Coronavirus Precautions

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)

Egypt’s Ministry of Endowments (Awqaf) warned citizens against defying the preventive measures in place to help limit the spread of the coronavirus in the country.

The ministry urged all Egyptians to adhere to all precautions announced by the health authorities, namely maintaining social distance and wearing masks at all gatherings, public places and means of transportation.

It emphasized, in a statement Monday, the importance of adhering to the measures at all mosques and keeping all shrines closed during these times.

It stressed that mosques should only be open during prayer times, and Friday sermons must be limited to ten minutes.

The ministry called on all advocacy and supervisory bodies in all directorates to closely monitor citizens' adherence to the measures, warning that any person violating them will be held accountable.

The Health Ministry confirmed 358 new coronavirus cases on Monday, as the country’s total reached 115,541, including 102,596 recoveries. It announced 15 deaths, bringing the fatalities to 6,636 nationwide.

The ministry said it was increasing its readiness all over the country to follow the epidemiological situation first-hand, stressing that it is taking all necessary preventive measures against any viruses or infectious diseases.

In addition, the Minister of Health Hala Zayed announced that the medical teams participating in the "100 Million Healthy Lives" initiative have been trained on approved treatment protocols and various medical equipment.

Over 21.5 million citizens have been tested as part of the initiative launched in 2018, aimed to screen more than 52 million citizens for hepatitis C (HEP. C) and Non-Communicable Disease (NCD).

Zayed explained that safe passages have been designated to guarantee that patients who are COVID-19 positive are not mingling with other patients while entering and exiting hospitals or medical units.

She stressed that all necessary preventive and precautionary measures including social distancing are maintained during the provision of the initiative's services.

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Human Rights Watch Says Israel's Deprivation of Water in Gaza is Act of Genocide

Displaced Palestinians line up to fill their containers with water in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on September 14, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Hamas militant group. (Photo by Bashar TALEB / AFP)
Displaced Palestinians line up to fill their containers with water in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on September 14, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Hamas militant group. (Photo by Bashar TALEB / AFP)
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Human Rights Watch Says Israel's Deprivation of Water in Gaza is Act of Genocide

Displaced Palestinians line up to fill their containers with water in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on September 14, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Hamas militant group. (Photo by Bashar TALEB / AFP)
Displaced Palestinians line up to fill their containers with water in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on September 14, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Hamas militant group. (Photo by Bashar TALEB / AFP)

Human Rights Watch said on Thursday that Israel has killed thousands of Palestinians in Gaza by denying them clean water which it says legally amounts to acts of genocide and extermination.
"This policy, inflicted as part of a mass killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, means Israeli authorities have committed the crime against humanity of extermination, which is ongoing. This policy also amounts to an 'act of genocide' under the Genocide Convention of 1948," Human Rights Watch said in its report.
Israel has repeatedly rejected any accusation of genocide, saying it has respected international law and has a right to defend itself after the cross-border Hamas-led attack from Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023 that precipitated the war, reported Reuters.
In a statement on X, Israel's foreign ministry wrote: "The truth is the complete opposite of HRW's lies."
"Since the beginning of the war, Israel has facilitated the continuous flow of water and humanitarian aid into Gaza, despite operating under constant attacks of Hamas terror organization," the statement said.
Although the report described the deprivation of water as an act of genocide, it noted that proving the crime of genocide against Israeli officials would also require establishing their intent. It cited statements by some senior Israeli officials which it said suggested they "wish to destroy Palestinians" which means the deprivation of water "may amount to the crime of genocide".
"What we have found is that the Israeli government is intentionally killing Palestinians in Gaza by denying them the water that they need to survive," Lama Fakih, Human Rights Watch Middle East director told a press conference.
In its response, Israel said it had ensured water infrastructure remained operational. It said international partners had sent water tankers through Israeli crossings, including last week, and ⁠Israel had facilitated the entry of more than 1.2 million tons of humanitarian supplies into Gaza.
Human Rights Watch is the second major rights group in a month to use the word genocide to describe the actions of Israel in Gaza, after Amnesty International issued a report that concluded Israel was committing genocide.
Both reports came just weeks after the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense chief for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. They deny the allegations.
The 184-page Human Rights Watch report said the Israeli government stopped water being piped into Gaza and cut off electricity and restricted fuel which meant Gaza's own water and sanitation facilities could not be used.
As a result, Palestinians in Gaza had access to only a few liters of water a day in many areas, far below the 15-liter-threshold for survival, the group said. Israel launched its air and ground war in Gaza after Hamas-led fighters attacked Israeli communities across the border 14 months ago, killing 1,200 people and taking over 250 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel's campaign has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians, displaced most of the 2.3 million population and reduced much of the coastal enclave to ruins.