Hamas members wear protective gear as a precaution against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at the Rafah border crossing in the southern Gaza Strip, April 13, 2020. Photo: Reuters / Ibraheem Abu Mustafa.

JNS.org – Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Palestinian Territories (COGAT) announced on Sunday that it had transferred an advanced medical device used to detect coronavirus to the Gaza Strip.

The device, called a PCR machine, is used for detection of COVID-19, said COGAT on Twitter, adding that it will arrive at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. The machine, also called a thermal cycler, was donated by an unspecified international organization with help from the World Health Organization to greatly increase the number of coronavirus tests being carried out in the Gaza Strip.

A PCR machine, an advanced medical device used for detection of COVID-19, was transferred today through the Allenby Bridge and Erez Crossings into the Gaza Strip with the coordination of COGAT. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/Ri0zQQT3sh

— COGAT (@cogatonline) April 12, 2020

The machine, costing tens of thousands of dollars, was donated by an international organization with the help of the @WHO and will be sent to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City where it will process samples for detecting the coronavirus, doubling the rate of examinations in Gaza. 2/2 pic.twitter.com/HsA9JJ7iG0

— COGAT (@cogatonline) April 12, 2020

According to Gaza authorities, there have only been a few confirmed coronavirus cases in the Gaza Strip so far.

In recent weeks, COGAT has also donated medical supplies, food, drugs and antiseptics to the coastal enclave.