Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar tests positive for COVID-19

Al-Monitor Staff

Dec 1, 2020

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar (C) takes part in a rally as Palestinians call for a "Day of Rage" to protest Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, in Gaza City on July 1, 2020. - Expectations of a major Israeli announcement on controversial annexations in the occupied West Bank dimmed, as global criticism of the project mounted and Palestinian protesters began gathering in Gaza. (Photo by MAHMUD HAMS / AFP) (Photo by MAHMUD HAMS/AFP via Getty Images) — Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar (C) takes part in a rally as Palestinians call for a "day of rage" to protest Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, in Gaza City on July 1, 2020. — MAHMUD HAMS/AFP via Getty Images

The leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar, has tested positive for COVID-19 and is now in quarantine, the militant group said in a statement Tuesday.

“A special coronavirus test was conducted for Yahya Sinwar, head of Hamas in Gaza, after symptoms manifested and it came back positive,” his office said. “We emphasize that Yahya Sinwar is fine and in good health, thank God. He is working normally according to safety protocols and medical quarantine.”