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Palestine Reports More Than 2,700 Daily COVID-19 Cases

A Palestinian woman gets vaccinated against COVID-19 at Clalit Health Services in the Palestinian neighborhood of Beit Hanina, in the Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, on Jan. 12, 2021. (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP)
A Palestinian woman gets vaccinated against COVID-19 at Clalit Health Services in the Palestinian neighborhood of Beit Hanina, in the Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, on Jan. 12, 2021. (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP)
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Palestine Reports More Than 2,700 Daily COVID-19 Cases

A Palestinian woman gets vaccinated against COVID-19 at Clalit Health Services in the Palestinian neighborhood of Beit Hanina, in the Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, on Jan. 12, 2021. (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP)
A Palestinian woman gets vaccinated against COVID-19 at Clalit Health Services in the Palestinian neighborhood of Beit Hanina, in the Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, on Jan. 12, 2021. (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP)

Palestinian Health Minister Mai Alkaila said the country registered on Monday 2,762 new Covid-19 cases and 26 deaths.

The minister said that among the new cases, 998 infections were reported in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, while 1,764 cases were recorded in the Gaza Strip.

Alkaila said 186 Covid-19 patients are receiving treatment in intensive care units, including 54 on ventilators, while 547 others are currently hospitalized across the West Bank.

Regarding the Covid-19 vaccination rollout, Alkaila said that 146,986 people have received the vaccine so far with 113,958 in the West Bank and 33,028 in Gaza. Also, she noted that up to 14,674 people received the second dose of the vaccine.

On Saturday, the Palestinian government announced a partial easing of the lockdown measures during the upcoming holy month of Ramadan.

The movement of individuals and vehicles will be banned everyday from 8 pm to 6 am. A weekly full lockdown will be imposed on Fridays, except for pharmacies and bakeries.

Commercial stores and transportation will be allowed to work on Saturdays under strict measures.

The government had also banned weddings, parties, festivals, and any other forms of public gathering.

Meanwhile, the weekly Friday prayer will be held in public squares, while the daily Tarawih prayers will be held in mosques, as per the protocols of the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs.

During a cabinet session on Monday, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said he announced the cautious easing of COVID-19 restrictions during Ramadan.

He called on residents to continue to wear masks, respect social distancing in addition to avoid iftars and public gatherings.

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Gazans Shed Tears of Joy, Disbelief at News of Ceasefire Deal

Palestinians react to news of a ceasefire agreement with Israel, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, 15 January 2025. (EPA)
Palestinians react to news of a ceasefire agreement with Israel, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, 15 January 2025. (EPA)
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Gazans Shed Tears of Joy, Disbelief at News of Ceasefire Deal

Palestinians react to news of a ceasefire agreement with Israel, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, 15 January 2025. (EPA)
Palestinians react to news of a ceasefire agreement with Israel, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, 15 January 2025. (EPA)

Palestinians burst into celebration across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday at news of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, with some shedding tears of joy and others whistling and clapping and chanting "God is greatest".

"I am happy, yes, I am crying, but those are tears of joy," said Ghada, a mother of five displaced from her home in Gaza City during the 15-month-old conflict.

"We are being reborn, with every hour of delay Israel conducted a new massacre, I hope it is all getting over now," she told Reuters via a chat app from a shelter in Deir al-Balah town in central Gaza.

Youths beat tambourines, blew horns and danced in the street in Khan Younis in the southern part of the enclave minutes after hearing news of the agreement struck in the Qatari capital Doha. The deal outlines a six-week initial ceasefire phase and includes the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

The accord also provides for the release of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian detainees held by Israel, an official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters.

For some, delight was mingled with sorrow.

Ahmed Dahman, 25, said the first thing he would do when the deal goes into effect is to recover the body of his father, who was killed in an airstrike on the family's house last year, and "give him a proper burial."

'A DAY OF HAPPINESS AND SADNESS'

"I feel a mixture of happiness because lives are being saved and blood is being stopped," said Dahman, who like Ghada was displaced from Gaza City and lives in Deir al-Balah.

"But I am also worried about the post-war shock of what we will see in the streets, our destroyed homes, my father whose body is still under the rubble."

His mother, Bushra, said that while the ceasefire wouldn't bring her husband back, "at least it may save other lives."

"I will cry, like never before. This brutal war didn't give us time to cry," said the tearful mother, speaking to Reuters by a chat app.

Iman Al-Qouqa, who lives with her family in a nearby tent, was still in disbelief.

"This is a day of happiness, and sadness, a shock and joy, but certainly it is a day we all must cry and cry long because of what we all lost. We did not lose friends, relatives, and homes only, we lost our city, Israel sent us back in history because of its brutal war," she told Reuters.

"It is time the world comes back into Gaza, focuses on Gaza, and rebuilds it," said Qouqa.

Israeli troops invaded Gaza after Hamas-led gunmen broke through security barriers and burst into Israeli communities on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 soldiers and civilians and abducting more than 250 foreign and Israeli hostages. Israel's campaign in Gaza has killed more than 46,000 people, according to Gaza health ministry figures, and left the coastal enclave a wasteland, with many thousands living in makeshift shelters.