Israel’s devastating 13-year siege of the Gaza Strip is intensifying the coronavirus crisis in the Palestinian enclave, threatening the lives of its nearly two million inhabitants, a new study warns.
In a report released on Wednesday, a group of international researchers described “challenges over access to healthcare and other essential resources, as well as the economic toll the virus has placed on individuals and their families”, a statement said.
The study focused on the spread of public health information about COVID-19, the measures taken to curb its spread, as well as the socioeconomic impact of the pandemic.
More than 70 individuals from different locations in Gaza participated in the study, Mohammed al-Ruzzi, a research fellow from the University of Bath and member of the research team, told Al Jazeera.