In recent weeks, dozens of doctors, nurses and medical staff in Gaza have been trained by Israeli medics to treat patients infected with COVID-19.
Training sessions at the Erez Border Crossing between Israel and Gaza have been conducted by an Israeli team from the Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, and an additional group of Gazan doctors left the Gaza Strip to attend a training course at the Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon, Israel.
Medical personnel have also taken part in conference calls together to discuss the protection of staff and the testing and treatment of patients.
In the West Bank and East Jerusalem, Israeli and Palestinian health and medical bodies work together regularly to train staff and share knowledge and equipment.
Israel’s Unit for the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) has shared the Israeli Health Ministry’s guidelines on prevention and protection from coronavirus, and ways to deal with the outbreak, on its Arabic language social media pages which are available to the Palestinian public.
Civil Administration Health Coordinator Dalia Basa said: “COGAT and the Ministry of Health will continue working to help the Palestinian authorities curb the spread of the virus in the territories, both as an Israeli interest and for humanitarian reasons”. She added: “We will expand medical training to Palestinian personnel as much as possible, as well as the transfer of medical equipment to the Palestinian healthcare system”.
According to the World Health Organisation, there are 278 cases of coronavirus among Palestinians in the West Bank, with two deaths. There are believed to be 13 cases in Gaza.
Earlier this month, United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, commended Israel for its work over the pandemic and its coordination with the Palestinian Authority.
Thousands of COVID-19 test kits and protective equipment have been transferred to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, and this week the Israeli Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon announced that Israel is providing the Palestinian Authority with a loan to combat the coronavirus crisis.
