A lockdown has been declared in the Gaza Strip after the first coronavirus cases were discovered outside its quarantine centres.

An outbreak in impoverished Gaza has been greatly feared because of its weak health care system.

Overnight, police moved quickly to clear people from the streets and impose a 48-hour curfew. Schools, mosques, businesses and the beach have all been closed.

Until now, the relative isolation of Gaza - which is kept under blockade by Israel and Egypt citing security concerns - and strict quarantine controls for those returning from outside meant that cases of the virus had not spread among the public.

Now a woman who travelled to Jerusalem for medical treatment and four of her relatives from one of Gaza’s densely populated refugee camps have tested positive. A spokesman for Hamas, which governs Gaza, said the situation was very dangerous due to the lack of medical supplies and Covid-19 testing kits.

Yolande Knell
BBC Middle East correspondent, Jerusalem