The electric lanterns and ornate decorations of Ramadan would normally be hanging in the streets of Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem by now, but not this year amid coronavirus restrictions and growing economic woes.
A Palestinian worker sprays water outside shops decorated ahead of the holy fasting month, amid concerns about the spread of the coronavirus disease , in the southern Gaza Strip April 22, 2020. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa
And the same closures that are set to dampen the mood are also suppressing the economy - Palestinian officials have ordered the closure of schools, wedding halls, restaurants and mosques, sending tens of thousands into unemployment. “There are no worshippers, there are no people, and the closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque has a great influence on the Palestinian people and on the people of Jerusalem in particular,” said Ammar Bakir, a resident of east Jerusalem.
“Such a decision was the first in 1,400 years, it is tough, and it pains our hearts,” said Sheikh Omar Al-Kiswani, the director of Al-Aqsa Mosque.In Gaza, with no confirmed coronavirus cases outside quarantine centres, Hamas said a full lockdown was not yet needed.
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