A Palestinian vendor wearing a face mask holds a traditional Ramadan lantern at a market in Gaza City, on April 7, 2020.(Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)
--Iran confirms 66,220 cases in total, death toll climbs to 4,110;
--Confirmed cases in Turkey climb to 42,282, including 908 deaths;
--Israel's total cases approach 10,000;
--Egypt decides to shut down all museums and archeological sites.
CAIRO, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from COVID-19 crossed 4,000 in Iran on Thursday as the slowdown in infections continued. Meanwhile, the tally of infections in Israel approached 10,000.
Iran announced 117 new deaths from the novel coronavirus, raising the total fatalities to 4,110, while the total number of confirmed cases surged to 66,220, up by 1,634 from a day ago.
The increase in the new cases of infections in Iran, the worst-hit country in the Middle East, has been declining for the ninth day in a row since March 31.
A man at an empty street in Tehran, Iran on April 5, 2020. (Ahmad Halabisaz/Xinhua)
Abdolnaser Hemmati, governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI), asked the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to process Iran's request for an emergency anti-coronavirus loan.
"We expect the IMF to immediately respond to the request of Iran which itself is a founding member of the Fund," the CBI chief wrote on his Instagram page.
On March 12, the CBI asked the IMF to provide a loan of 5 billion U.S. dollars to combat the COVID-19 outbreak, but reports said that the United States had blocked Iran's request.
In Turkey, the fast rise in the tally of infections continued on Thursday, as 4,056 new cases and 96 new deaths were reported.
The total confirmed cases in Turkey climbed to 42,282, while the death toll hit 908, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca tweeted.
A senior citizen wearing a face mask waits to receive her pension at a youth center on the outskirts of northern Cairo, Egypt, on April 8, 2020. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)
Israel, another hard-hit country in the region, reported 13 new deaths from the virus and 564 infections, bringing the death toll to 86 and the tally of infections to 9,968, the Ministry of Health said.
A 5-week-old baby in Israel was diagnosed with the coronavirus, said Sheba Medical Center in central Israel. But the baby was in mild condition and treated in a special quarantined area at the intensive care unit.
Saudi Arabia reported 355 new COVID-19 cases and three more deaths, bringing the total infections to 3,287 and the death toll to 44.
In Qatar, 166 new cases of coronavirus infections were detected Thursday, bringing the number of confirmed cases to 2,376, of whom six have died and 206 have recovered.
Morocco confirmed 99 more COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections to 1,374, which included 97 fatalities and 109 recoveries.
In Algeria, 30 death cases and 94 new infections were confirmed, raising the death toll to 235 and the total cases to 1,666.
Bahrain reported 64 new COVID-19 cases and 42 new recoveries, bringing the tally of infections to 887, and the number of recoveries to 519. Five patients have died from the virus so far.
Kuwait reported 55 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 910, of whom 111 have recovered.
Oman's Ministry of Health announced 38 new cases of infections, bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country to 457.
Iraq reported 30 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of infections to 1,232, of whom 69 have died and 496 recovered.
A worker sprays disinfectants in a zoo in Giza, Egypt on April 9, 2020. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)
Egypt reported 139 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of confirmed cases to 1,699. The death toll surged to 118 after 15 fatalities were added on Thursday.
Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities decided to shut down all museums and archeological sites "indefinitely" after they have been temporarily closed as part of the anti-coronavirus measures.
Jordan's Health Minister Saad Jaber confirmed the 7th death from the virus, while 14 more infections were recorded, bringing the total cases to 372 in the kingdom.
In Lebanon, the number of COVID-19 cases increased by seven to 582, while the death toll remained at 19.
Lebanon's cabinet announced the extension of lockdown measures for two more weeks until April 26 in an attempt to stem the coronavirus.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) hailed on Thursday China's experience in combating the novel coronavirus, including isolation, social spacing, and staying at home.
"I believe that the Chinese experience was the major medical recipe," said PA spokesman Ibrahim Melhem at a news briefing.
In a briefing via video-conference to foreign diplomats, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye called on donor countries to support Palestine's emergency response plan to fight the coronavirus pandemic, which requires 137 million dollars.
The Palestinian government forecast a total loss of about 3.8 billion dollars for the Palestinian economy due to the pandemic, Ishtaye said. ■
