A review of Mondoweiss’s coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Palestine over the last 19 months.

While the omicron variant of the coronavirus spread to 57 countries this week, Palestinians announced that so far, “Palestine is free of any infection with the new mutation.”

Palestinians have reimposed a state of emergency in an attempt to prevent the spread of the omicron variant.

“As perceived by the children, economic conditions had the most influence on their ability to stay in school,” a new report from Al Mezan says.

Palestinian health officials expanded their vaccination drive on Thursday and approved shots for children age 12 and up. The previous regulations limited shots to children age 16 and older.  

According to a release from Al Mezan, a Gaza-based human rights monitor, at the start of September “38% of essential drugs and 22% of medical disposables were at ‘zero stock’” in Gaza.

Beginning in November, Palestinians will need to present proof of vaccine status, confirming they have received three doses in order to cross checkpoints to work in Israel and West Bank settlements. 

While Israel is expecting a six-month recoil in coronavirus cases after administering a third, or booster, COVID-19 vaccine that has plummeted new infection, health officials have retooled requirements for their “Green Pass” system, and in the wake of new regulations, Palestinian workers will lose their status.

Social media platforms are pulling seemingly innocuous observations that Palestinians are incurring a great deal of harm from Israeli actions under the specter of “hate speech” violations.

2020 was the worst year for the Palestinian economy since 1995, and the pandemic is only part of the picture. Settler violence peaked, and Gaza’s economy was already years into a massive contraction.