GAZA CITY: Gaza health officials have reported the first death from COVID-19 since authorities detected community transmission of the coronavirus earlier this week.
A wider outbreak in the blockaded territory, which is home to 2 million Palestinians, could be catastrophic. The health infrastructure has been strained by years of conflict between Israel and Hamas, the Islamic militant group that rules Gaza.
The Health Ministry says the deceased was a 61-year-old man who had been put on life support and died during his transfer to a special isolation center.
The ministry said nine new local cases were detected Wednesday, raising the total to 15. Authorities have reported more than 100 cases and a fatality since March, but until this week they were all linked to quarantine centers for returning travelers.