After months of recording remarkably low rates of COVID-19 infection, the Gaza Strip is witnessing a worrying outbreak of the virus, recording nearly 300 new cases in just the past week — and it’s just the beginning.

New cases of COVID-19 were reported among relatives in the al-Maghazi refugee camp, where, as is the case in most refugee camps, overcrowding and poor infrastructure poses a major threat to the community’s ability to stop the spread of the virus.

In the past 24 hours alone, there were more than 612 new cases, a third of which were reported in occupied East Jerusalem, which has seen a surge in cases recently.

Palestinian children prepare to return to school as COVID-19 rates skyrocket.

There are more than 2,300 active cases of COVID-19 in East Jerusalem, and the daily rate of infection continues to climb. Despite this, Israeli authorities have continued their policy of home demolitions and arrests in the occupied territory.

It’s the week before the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, and the streets of Palestine were bustling today as people got their holiday shopping done. But in the past 24 hours, 481 new cases of the virus were recorded in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem.

Palestine surpassed 10,000 recorded cases of the coronavirus this week, a bleak milestone for Palestinians as the second wave of the COVID-19 continues to grow.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the Palestinian death toll from COVID-19 stands at 47 people and climbing. The vast majority of deaths have been recorded in the West Bank, specifically in Hebron, the epicenter of the outbreak.

Leaders are struggling to maintain control over the virus, as the number of cases soared past 5,000 cases this week. On July 4th, the Ministry of Health said all of its ventilators were being used by both COVID-19 and chronically ill patients.

The threat of political disaster and an uncontrollable outbreak are pulling ordinary Palestinian citizens in different directions, with little guidance from the government and leaders as to what the near future might look like.