Coronavirus claims 23 more lives in Palestine

By Mustafa Deveci

JERUSALEM (AA) – Palestinian health authorities confirmed 23 new coronavirus fatalities and 2,032 more infections on Wednesday.

The Health Ministry said in a statement that 1,518 cases were recorded in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem while the blockaded Gaza Strip confirmed 514 cases over the past 24 hours.

The overall virus tally has reached 258,297 confirmed cases, including 2,751 fatalities.

The statement said the number of COVID-19 patients in critical condition stands at 206.

A total of 230,064 patients in the country have won the battle against the virus so far.

Palestinian Health Minister Mai al-Kaila warned last week that medical conditions in Palestine became "extremely dangerous" due to the virus.

Hospital occupancy in Palestine has reached 100%, al-Kaila said.

A significant increase has been observed in the number of intubated patients and those receiving treatment in intensive care units, she stated.

The East Jerusalem, West Bank and Gaza Strip have seen a significant surge in new infections and fatalities in recent weeks after an initial drop in daily cases.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz