A senior Israel health official on Monday praised the handling of coronavirus by Gaza's rules Hamas, citing it as an example as to why Israel's border with Egypt must remain closed.
Dr. Asher Shalmon, the Director of the International Relations Division in the Health Ministry, said during a coronavirus cabinet debate on reopening of the Taba-Eilat border crossing leading to Sinai, which has become a popular destination among Israelis, that Egypt remains a country with a very high infection rate.
"Egypt still has a high infection rate and has a limited ability to test," he said. "We saw, for example, how the authorities in Gaza treated Palestinians returning from Egypt, which included a three-week isolation.
Shalmon added that although he doesn't believe Israel should adopt Hamas' approach, it's evident the terror group "has effectively managed to prevent the spread in the Gaza Strip through strict isolation of those entering from Egypt."
Last week, 120 Israelis from a group called "Sinai lovers" petitioned the High Court of Justice, demanding the border crossing between Israel and Egypt, shuttered since March, be reopened.
Attorney Alon Sapir, who represent the group, called the decison to keep the border closed as "illogical".
"On the face of it, the goal behind the decision is to prevent people returning from Sinai or abroad with coronavirus and spreading it in Israel, but it does not make sense anymore," he said. "First of all, it is possible to get to Sinai via a connection flight in Turkey, and some Israelis do it, it is also allowed to return through the land border after the Egyptians opened their borders to tourists."