On Friday, March 20, 2020, one day before two cases of COVID-19 infection were confirmed in the Gaza Strip, Gazan Imam Jamil Al-Mutawa said in a sermon at the White Mosque in Gaza that COVID-19 is a "soldier" of Allah, which severely affected the United States, Israel, Iran, Italy, and China, while leaving the Palestinians and Gazans unaffected. Claiming that there is a new COVID-19 victim every eight minutes in Iran and Italy, Sheikh Al-Mutawa prayed for Allah to continue unleashing the virus against the people behind the Deal of the Century. He said: "Look how anyone who schemes against the Al-Aqsa Mosque is being shattered to smithereens... This is the greatness of Allah!" The sermon was aired on Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas – Gaza).
Imam Jamil Al-Mutawa: "[Allah] has sent just one soldier, [the coronavirus]. What would happen had he sent 50 like the coronavirus? He has sent just one soldier and it has hit all 50 [American] states. An hour ago, they said on TV that in California... They said that they expect 58% of California to be infected within two months. They talk about 25 million infected people in just one of the 50 states. Allah be praised. Look how anyone who schemes against the Al-Aqsa Mosque is being shattered to smithereens by the soldiers of Allah.
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"Look how empty the [Israeli] cities are. Look how empty their streets are and look how crowded this mosque is. Who is it that has given us security and terrified them? Who is it that has protected us and harmed them? It is Allaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
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"Oh Allah, keep [the coronavirus] away from us, ward it off from us, and unleash it against the people behind the evil Deal [of the Century].
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"Brothers, is the coronavirus for real? Yes. Is the coronavirus harmful? Yes. Can the coronavirus kill? Yes. Are there people infected with the coronavirus? Allah be praised! The numbers in Italy: 450 victims yesterday. There is a victim there every 8 minutes. In Iran, there is a victim every 8 minutes. China is second to Italy with 3,300 victims. What is going on? Allah be praised! This the greatness of Allah.
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"The Muslims are the people who are least infected. The only country where nobody has died... When I entered this mosque, I received a text message that the 56 people who had been quarantined in Bethlehem have been completely healed by the grace of Allah. Brothers, before I entered the mosque, I contacted senior doctors, and they told me that as of this moment, there is not a single case in Gaza."