Ashraf Shannon
Press TV, Gaza
As the world marks International Day of Epidemic Preparedness Gaza’s health sector continues to suffer due to the hermetic Israeli blockade in place since 2007.
On Sunday the ministry of health in Gaza announced the discovery of the first case of Omicron COVID variant in the blockaded enclave.
Around seventeen hundred Gazans have already died because of the Coronavirus since last year.
The Gaza Strip which is one of the world’s most densely populated areas has recorded nearly one hundred and ninety thousand COVID-19 infections since May 2020.
The Israeli blockade and multiple wars have had a devastating impact on the wellbeing of people in the tiny coastal sliver.
The Israeli regime also maintains tight restrictions on the entry of humanitarian supplies including medicines and hospital equipment to combat COVID-19 and its variants.
People in Gaza are bracing themselves for the worst following the local discovery of the Omicron variant.
The Israeli regime has compounded the risk of Coronavirus infection for over two million Palestinians living in Gaza, making it extremely difficult to combat the deadly pandemic.
Israeli inhumane practices have battered Gaza's health system.
Experts say that the Omicron variant will only worsen the health situation in the blockaded enclave.