Coronavirus outbreaks across the Middle East threaten to shatter the lives of millions of already destitute people in conflict zones, and could fuel socio-economic upheaval, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Thursday.
Governments in the Middle East need to act fast to limit the spread of the coronavirus after cases rose to nearly 60 000, almost double their level a week earlier, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.
Leaders in Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas rolled out bans on big gatherings, and stricter travel restrictions as cases of the new coronavirus spread around the world.
The United Nations aid agency for Palestinian refugees voiced concern on Friday that the United States administration’s Middle East peace plan will spark further violence and said it had contingency measures in place to boost protection and assistance in the occupied territories.
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday proposed creation of a Palestinian state with a capital in eastern Jerusalem, dependent on Palestinians taking steps to become self-governing, in an effort to achieve a peace breakthrough in their decades of conflict with Israel.
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