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Palestinians ride a motorcycle past a Hamas missile monument amid concerns over the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in the northern Gaza Strip. Image Credit: Reuters

Gaza: Gaza reported its first cases of COVID-19 in the general population on Monday, as authorities confirmed four infections at a refugee camp and security forces declared a full lockdown for 48 hours.

The four cases were from a single family, according to a government statement.

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The closure would affect the entire Gaza Strip, according to an official from Hamas.

Until Monday the 360 square-kilometre coastal strip, which is home to two million Palestinians living in densely packed cities, towns and refugee camps, had reported no infections outside quarantine centres set up for people returning home from abroad.