Israel argues the measures are necessary to isolate Hamas, an Islamist movement considered a terrorist organisation by most Western countries. Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008.

Gaza has only 60 intensive care (ICU) beds for its two million people and not all are operational due to staff shortages, The head of the World Health Organisation's Palestinian office, Gerald Rockenschaub, told AFP earlier this week.



In response to the pandemic, Israel has announced an increased supply of medical equipment to Gaza, including hundreds of COVID-19 test kits transferred this week.

Hamas is also working to build up to 1,000 new isolation rooms near the Rafah crossing with Egypt.

The Gaza director of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA, Matthias Schmale, told AFP this week that it would be "an illusion to think you can manage [an epidemic] in a closed-off space like this".

"Everything I am hearing is if the outbreak reaches the magnitude where you need more than 60 ICU beds to treat, it will become increasingly difficult and could well turn into a disaster of gigantic proportions," he said.

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