Gaza border
Gaza borderFlash 90

The Hamas terror organization, which controls Gaza, on Monday evening announced a 48-hour lockdown in the enclave after four Gazans diagnosed with coronavirus spent time outside quarantine, Israel Hayom reported.

The four, three men and a woman, are from the same family and live in al-Mara'aji in central Gaza.

Gaza currently has 40 active coronavirus patients, with 36 of them in quarantine. Recently, it was reported that over 2,000 people were placed in quarantine after returning to Gaza via the Rafah Crossing.

The Gaza lockdown applies to all districts and includes all institutions, buildings, and public services, including event halls, mosques, universities, and more. According to Hamas, the lockdown is necessary in order to allow medical staff to map the areas in which there is a concern that coronavirus will spread, and to quarantine those who have been infected.

During the 48-hour lockdown, residents will be forbidden to leave their homes, and they will be required to cooperate fully with the authorities. Hamas called on Gazans to turn to the Health Ministry in any case in which there is a suspicion of having contracted coronavirus.

In a special press conference, a spokesperson for Gaza's Health Ministry said that the cuts to the gas supply pose a challenge to the health system, calling on the world to aid Gaza in managing the coronavirus crisis, as well as the economic, health, and humanitarian crises in Gaza.

Israel called a stop to the transfer of gas to Gaza and closed the Kerem Shalom Crossing after Gazan terrorists consistently launched incendiary balloons into Israeli territory, sparking fires in Israel.

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said that the terror group appreciates the authorities' efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic, and called on human rights organizations and international institutions to act immediately to provide Gaza with all its needs and end Israel's attempts to end the "balloon terror" and rocket attacks.