Turkey assures Palestine of help to fight coronavirus

By Berk Ozkan

ANKARA (AA) - As a firm supporter of Palestinian cause, Turkey will back Palestine in its fight against coronavirus as well, Turkish president told his Palestinian counterpart on Saturday.

According to a statement by Turkey’s Directorate of Communications, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Mahmoud Abbas held a phone call to discuss recent developments and regional issues.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Erdogan stressed Turkey’s support for Palestine in combating the virus.

In statements, Palestinian Health Minister Mai al-Kaila said on Saturday that four new cases were recorded in the West Bank cities of Ramallah and Hebron, taking the total infections in the occupied territory to 52, including 17 recoveries.

Notably, the Gaza Strip has not reported any infection until Saturday.

The virus emerged in Wuhan, China last December, and has spread to at least 167 countries and regions, according to data compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

With more than 299,000 confirmed cases, the death toll now nears 12,800, while more than 91,500 have recovered.

Despite the rising number of cases, most of the people who contract the virus suffer only mild symptoms and recover.

*Writing by Havva Kara Aydin