A 61-year-old man died in the Gaza Strip after contracting the coronavirus, Palestinian authorities said as they clamped down on an outbreak of the pandemic in the enclave, AFP reports.

The man had suffered previous illnesses and had been on a respirator, the health ministry said. It was the first death among the general population since an infected woman died at a quarantine centre in March.

Health officials said nine more cases were also discovered; six of them were in the isolated Maghazi refugee camp, prompting Gaza's Hamas authorities to impose a full lockdown.

The three other cases were in northern Gaza Strip, indicating the virus has begun to spread into different areas of the enclave of two million people.