Speaking about the Coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak that was first identified in China and spread around the world in a short time, Palestinian Ambassador to Ankara Dr. Faed Mustafa said the occupation regime wanted to annex the Palestinian Territories, taking advantage of the virus pandemic.

"As Palestine, we a are part of the world and we, too, have been affected by this epidemic"

Starting to speak by celebrating the holy Ramadan of all Muslims, Faed Mustafa said: “As Palestine, we are a part of the world and we have definitely been affected by this epidemic. Fortunately, the number of cases and deaths in Palestine is very low. 375 people have tested positive for coronavirus so far and of those, 2 people have died. Other patients are recovered and discharged from hospital. No new case has been reported in the past 4 days.”

"We are heading towards the end of the pandemic in Palestine"

Noting that the coronavirus pandemic in Palestine is nearing an end, Mustafa said: “We can see that there are a lot of cases in Israel right next to us. Because the Palestinian state acted early and took precautions against the virus, the number of cases is low and the number of recoveries is high in our country. On 5 March, the Palestinian government declared a state of emergency due to the outbreak. After the state of emergency was declared, praise be to Allah, we were able to keep the number of cases at the lowest limits. The state of emergency paved the way for our government to fight the pandemic. We have left the hard times behind. We're heading towards the end of the pandemic in our country.”

Stating that the fight against the virus started to be done in a coordinated manner throughout the country after the state of emergency was declared, he added: “Transport between cities and villages has been completely shut down. People were banned from gathering at social events. The places where the ceremonies and meetings were held were completely closed. Universities and schools were closed early. All of these measures have enabled the virus to be tackled properly.”

"We received medical assistance from friendly country to fight the pandemic"

Mustafa went on to say: “The Palestinian state, like all countries of the world, was caught unprepared for the coranavirus outbreak. This virus has spread in a very surprising way. For this reason, very intensive work began in the institutions in Palestine. Palestinian factories producing health supplies and preventive products have increased production. We have also collaborated with various countries around the world to supply medicines and protective overalls. Praise to be Allah, the medical assistance that we received from friendly country has strengthened our Health Ministry as well as our state in the fight against coronavirus pandemic. I especially want to mention the aid from Turkey. Masks, test kits, ventilators, disinfectant and all kinds of materials that are used in the fight against the virus were sent to our country from Turkey.”

"We have built many hospitals and health centers in Palestine"

Speaking on the health infrastructure of Palestinian State, Mustafa said: “Praise to be Allah, we have recently attached great importance to heath system. So, we have built many hospitals and health centers in our country. These health investments were made in both the West Bank and Gaza. Public confidence in our health care system has increased. These hospitals have both well-trained staff and advanced equipment. We are using the latest technological devices. This is why we are successful in our fight against the pandemic.”

"Coronavirus caases were first detected at a hotel in the Bethlehem, where a group of Greek tourists had visited the hotel in late February"

He indicated that the first coronavirus cases were detected in Bethlehem and added: “The number one tourism destination in Palestine is Bethlehem. Especially from the Christian world. As you know, Bethlehem is also the birthplace of Jesus Christ. Visitors come to Bethlehem all the time, especially from Christian countries. Coronavirus cases were first detected at a hotel in the Bethlehem area, where a group of Greek tourists had visited the hotel in late February. Our government announced a complete ban on entry of foreign tourists. Then it declared a state of emergency in the West Bank. People were tested. Hotels turned into quarantine centers. That way the virus was contained there. In addition, we have workers working in the historic territory of Palestine, which is currently under Israeli occupation. Those workers carried the virus from there, infecting their own families and their neighbors.”

“Worldwide, the number of Palestinians infected with coronavirus is 355,000, with 75 deaths”

“There are a high number of cases among Palestinian expatriates. You know, Palestinians live in various countries around the world. So far, Worldwide, the number of Palestinians infected with coronavirus has been 355,000, with 75 deaths,” Mustafa stated.

"We have received medical assistance from many countries to fight against the virus"

“In addition to the assistance we received from Turkey, we also received assistance from the Chinese state and the private sectors in China. These benefits consisted mostly of medical supplies. We also received medical supplies from Malaysia. We also received cash grants from Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.”

"There are no health checks and tests in the Occupied Palestinian Territories"

Noting that zionist occupation regime is an obstacle to the access of medical aid to Palestine, Mustafa said: ”israel is not helping our citizens in Jerusalem to be protected from the epidemic, nor is the Palestinian government allowed to carry out tests in Jerusalem. There are also no health checks or tests in the israeli-occupied Palestinian Territories. So far, there have been no cases of coronavirus related to our prisoners in Israeli prisons. International human rights organizations and organizations advocating the rights of captives are calling for their release so that they do not face the danger of the pandemic.

"As Palestinians, we are dealing with coronavirus an addition to the invading Israeli virus "

Underlining that they have very well-trained health staff in Palestine, Mustafa said: “We attach great importance to this staff. We have built many hospitals and health center in the past 3 years. What Palestine needs are special hospitals. We need special oncology hospitals in particular and are intensely working to have one. Hopefully we'll have a hospital like this soon. Finally, I want to say that we, as Palestinians, are not dealing with a single virus like the whole world. We're dealing with two viruses. The first is Coronavirus, and the second is the israeli virus.

"We know that israel makes some plans to take advantage of coronavirus pandemic"

He concluded as follows: ”We know that israel makes some plans to take advantage of coronavirus pandemic. In particular, Gantz and Netanyahu have agreed to annex some or all of the West Bank. We will continue to fight in our land, Palestine. We are patient and our struggle will continue until a fully independent state of Palestine, whose capital is Jerusalem, is established. (ILKHA)