The ministry said the new patients had come in contact with two Palestinians who returned to the Gaza Strip from Pakistan last week and were diagnosed with the disease. The two, who entered the Gaza Strip via the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, had been placed in quarantine near the border.
Palestinian sources said the new seven patients were members of the Hamas security forces who were staying with the two infected patients at a quarantine center.
The sources said that all the Palestinians infected with the virus were being held near the border with Egypt and did not come in contact with Palestinian civilians inside the Gaza Strip.
Eyad al-Bazam, spokesman for the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Interior, said that members of the security forces in the Gaza Strip were putting their lives at risk to prevent the spread of the virus. He added that the seven security officers who were diagnosed with the disease are in good health.