48 lives were lost after relentless air strikes by Israel targeting Hamas and other Islamist groups fuelled growing fears that violence between Israel and Palestinians could spiral into “full-scale war”. Palestinian militants have launched more than 1,000 rockets since Monday, said Israel’s army. It was the heaviest offensive between Israel and Hamas since a 2014 war in Gaza.
Authorities in Gaza confirmed the first two cases of the novel coronavirus. The victims are identified as Palestinians who had travelled to Pakistan and were being held in quarantine since their return. The United Nations has warned that a COVID-19 outbreak in Gaza could be disastrous keeping in mind the high poverty rates and weak health system in the coastal strip under Israeli blockade since 2007.