18 aug 2020
National number of overall cases nears 100,000, with 410 patients now in serious condition in hospital, including 113 people on ventilators; 24,100 tests for COVID-19 on Monday indicate infection rate of 6.9%
Five more people in Israel have lost their lives to coronavirus since midnight, the Health Ministry said Tuesday morning, bringing the national COVID-19 death toll to 698.
The number of seriously ill cases has also shot up to 410, an increase of 11 overnight, and there are currently 113 people on ventilators.
Testing for the virus in the preceding 24 hours led to another 1,660 new diagnoses, 248 of them since midnight, the Health Ministry said.
A total of 24,100 tests were conducted, indicating a 6.9% infection rate. In late July, the national infection rate reached a record 9.8%.
Israel is now approaching a total of 100,000 cases of the virus since the start of the pandemic, with 23,399 people in the country currently battling COVID-19 and 71,167 having recovered.
Meanwhile, Health Ministry data obtained by Ynet shows that the government had been basing its decisions on how to mitigate the spread of the virus on only 20% of COVID-19 cases in Israel.
The ministry data was presented in response to a freedom of information request by the Tamnun non-profit organization.
The data shows that even by early August, some five months after the pandemic reached Israel, the ministry was making decisions based on only limited information due to understaffing at the unit tasked with tracing the spread of the disease in order to break the chain of contagion.
The unit required each of its investigator to trace the movements of up to 1,000 confirmed carriers of the disease at the same time.
A new tracing system operated by the IDF Home Front Command is expected to be operational in the coming days.
Israel, which was initially successful in mitigating the spread of the disease in the first wave, has struggled to contain the virus since reopening schools and the economy in May.
Five more people in Israel have lost their lives to coronavirus since midnight, the Health Ministry said Tuesday morning, bringing the national COVID-19 death toll to 698.
The number of seriously ill cases has also shot up to 410, an increase of 11 overnight, and there are currently 113 people on ventilators.
Testing for the virus in the preceding 24 hours led to another 1,660 new diagnoses, 248 of them since midnight, the Health Ministry said.
A total of 24,100 tests were conducted, indicating a 6.9% infection rate. In late July, the national infection rate reached a record 9.8%.
Israel is now approaching a total of 100,000 cases of the virus since the start of the pandemic, with 23,399 people in the country currently battling COVID-19 and 71,167 having recovered.
Meanwhile, Health Ministry data obtained by Ynet shows that the government had been basing its decisions on how to mitigate the spread of the virus on only 20% of COVID-19 cases in Israel.
The ministry data was presented in response to a freedom of information request by the Tamnun non-profit organization.
The data shows that even by early August, some five months after the pandemic reached Israel, the ministry was making decisions based on only limited information due to understaffing at the unit tasked with tracing the spread of the disease in order to break the chain of contagion.
The unit required each of its investigator to trace the movements of up to 1,000 confirmed carriers of the disease at the same time.
A new tracing system operated by the IDF Home Front Command is expected to be operational in the coming days.
Israel, which was initially successful in mitigating the spread of the disease in the first wave, has struggled to contain the virus since reopening schools and the economy in May.
By The Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC):
The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement strongly slammed in a statement the recent normalization agreement between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel, calling on Emiratis to boycott any Israeli activity in the country.
“Palestinian civil society stands with the silenced majority in the United Arab Emirates and the Arab world in strongly condemning the agreement reached between the despotic rulers of the United Arab Emirates and Israel, with support from the Trump White House,” the statement said.
“This is the UAE regime’s gravest betrayal of the struggle for Palestinian liberation and self-determination.”
The deal was announced as Israel was once again bombing the besieged and impoverished Gaza Strip and attacking Palestinians in the West Bank, signaling that it would do nothing to diminish Israel’s brutal assaults on the Palestinian people, said BDS.
“The UAE regime’s claim that the price for its violation of the central principle among Arab peoples of commitment to the Palestinian cause was Israel’s freeze of its plans to formally annex parts of the occupied Palestinian territory is a lie.
After the agreement had been reached, (Israeli Premier Benjamin) Netanyahu announced that the annexation plan is still alive but has been temporarily delayed to allow him to reach an agreement with Trump on how best to implement it.”
BDS said the UAE claim is a sham. “Israel’s theft of Palestinian land and its illegal settlement enterprise are continuing unabated, entrenching its de facto annexation and apartheid regime.”
Israel’s regime of occupation, settler-colonialism and apartheid is celebrating this latest diplomatic breakthrough as badly needed cover for its ongoing war crimes and crimes against humanity against the Indigenous people of Palestine.
These include massacres; ethnic cleansing, especially in Jerusalem, the Naqab and the Jordan Valley; the siege of Gaza; home demolitions; destruction of ancient olive groves; destruction or appropriation of cultural and archeological heritage; and denial of fundamental rights protected in international law, it said.
“The Palestinian people, supported by the absolute majority in the Arab world and by people of conscience globally, will continue to resist Israeli oppression and insist on our inalienable right to liberation, self-determination, freedom and dignity in our homeland.
We call on people across the globe to escalate boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaigns against Israel’s ongoing annexation and apartheid,” said BDS, calling on Emiratis “to boycott any Israeli presence or activity in the country or elsewhere and to refuse to engage with the Israeli embassy or with entities partnering with them and with all complicit Israeli institutions.”
It also called on Arabs in general to continue to actively resist this abject normalization by:
Boycotting all activities, festivals and projects sponsored by the UAE regime, including the Dubai EXPO, the Dubai Shopping Festival, as well as sports, cultural and economic/financial festivals and conferences.
Boycotting and divesting from any Emirati or other corporation that becomes complicit in implementing this normalization agreement with Israel.
Refraining from travel to present-day Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque, under this unethical agreement, and from participating in faith washing initiatives that underpin this so-called “Abraham Accord.”
The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement strongly slammed in a statement the recent normalization agreement between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel, calling on Emiratis to boycott any Israeli activity in the country.
“Palestinian civil society stands with the silenced majority in the United Arab Emirates and the Arab world in strongly condemning the agreement reached between the despotic rulers of the United Arab Emirates and Israel, with support from the Trump White House,” the statement said.
“This is the UAE regime’s gravest betrayal of the struggle for Palestinian liberation and self-determination.”
The deal was announced as Israel was once again bombing the besieged and impoverished Gaza Strip and attacking Palestinians in the West Bank, signaling that it would do nothing to diminish Israel’s brutal assaults on the Palestinian people, said BDS.
“The UAE regime’s claim that the price for its violation of the central principle among Arab peoples of commitment to the Palestinian cause was Israel’s freeze of its plans to formally annex parts of the occupied Palestinian territory is a lie.
After the agreement had been reached, (Israeli Premier Benjamin) Netanyahu announced that the annexation plan is still alive but has been temporarily delayed to allow him to reach an agreement with Trump on how best to implement it.”
BDS said the UAE claim is a sham. “Israel’s theft of Palestinian land and its illegal settlement enterprise are continuing unabated, entrenching its de facto annexation and apartheid regime.”
Israel’s regime of occupation, settler-colonialism and apartheid is celebrating this latest diplomatic breakthrough as badly needed cover for its ongoing war crimes and crimes against humanity against the Indigenous people of Palestine.
These include massacres; ethnic cleansing, especially in Jerusalem, the Naqab and the Jordan Valley; the siege of Gaza; home demolitions; destruction of ancient olive groves; destruction or appropriation of cultural and archeological heritage; and denial of fundamental rights protected in international law, it said.
“The Palestinian people, supported by the absolute majority in the Arab world and by people of conscience globally, will continue to resist Israeli oppression and insist on our inalienable right to liberation, self-determination, freedom and dignity in our homeland.
We call on people across the globe to escalate boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaigns against Israel’s ongoing annexation and apartheid,” said BDS, calling on Emiratis “to boycott any Israeli presence or activity in the country or elsewhere and to refuse to engage with the Israeli embassy or with entities partnering with them and with all complicit Israeli institutions.”
It also called on Arabs in general to continue to actively resist this abject normalization by:
Boycotting all activities, festivals and projects sponsored by the UAE regime, including the Dubai EXPO, the Dubai Shopping Festival, as well as sports, cultural and economic/financial festivals and conferences.
Boycotting and divesting from any Emirati or other corporation that becomes complicit in implementing this normalization agreement with Israel.
Refraining from travel to present-day Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque, under this unethical agreement, and from participating in faith washing initiatives that underpin this so-called “Abraham Accord.”
17 aug 2020
Israeli energy minister Yuval Steinitz said on Sunday that Israel's plan to annex West Bank territories would most likely happen in its entirety but gradually despite the normalization agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
"The annexation may be delayed by a few months, but it will happen gradually. I am convinced it will happen," Steinitz said during an interview with Ynet.
He added that Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu had obtained initial approval from Washington to annex Palestinian lands in the West Bank.
"The annexation may be delayed by a few months, but it will happen gradually. I am convinced it will happen," Steinitz said during an interview with Ynet.
He added that Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu had obtained initial approval from Washington to annex Palestinian lands in the West Bank.
16 aug 2020
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Prominent religious scholar, who openly dismissed Health Ministry regulations, admitted to hospital after thousands attend grandson's wedding not wearing masks, disregarding social distancing
The leader of the Belz Hassidic dynasty, Rabbi Yissachar Dov Rokeach, was admitted on Sunday to the coronavirus ward at Jerusalem's Hadassah Medical Center nearly 11 days after holding a wedding for his grandson with thousands in attendance, violating health directives intended to curb the spread of COVID-19. The wedding was held indoors at the Hassidic court's center in Jerusalem those at the venue were documented standing and dancing in close quarters and without face masks. |
The event marks a major violation of social distancing regulations and assurances given to Jerusalem police by organizers.
Police fined some of the event's organizers for violating coronavirus directives and announced they will be launching a criminal investigation after documentations from the event appeared in the media.
Rokeach has been openly dismissive of health ministry directives aiming the slow the spread of the pathogen which is prevalent among ultra-Orthodox communities.
Rokeach had held mass prayers and religious lessons in the months leading up to the wedding and was accompanied at the Western Wall by large groups of people who were not wearing masks or observing social distancing.
The Hassidic court explained that the Rabbi viewed the spiritual damage caused to his followers from health directives to be much greater than any risk to their physical health. Rokeach's followers were also instructed to avoid reporting any illness to authorities in fear that mass coronavirus contagion could lead to further restrictions on the community.
After pictures of the massive crowds at the event were broadcast in the media, Professor Ronni Gamzu - who directs the government's response to the coronavirus pandemic - expressed his anger at the Hassidic court and the rabbi's behavior and warned that elderly people in attendance could become seriously ill with COVID-19.
Police fined some of the event's organizers for violating coronavirus directives and announced they will be launching a criminal investigation after documentations from the event appeared in the media.
Rokeach has been openly dismissive of health ministry directives aiming the slow the spread of the pathogen which is prevalent among ultra-Orthodox communities.
Rokeach had held mass prayers and religious lessons in the months leading up to the wedding and was accompanied at the Western Wall by large groups of people who were not wearing masks or observing social distancing.
The Hassidic court explained that the Rabbi viewed the spiritual damage caused to his followers from health directives to be much greater than any risk to their physical health. Rokeach's followers were also instructed to avoid reporting any illness to authorities in fear that mass coronavirus contagion could lead to further restrictions on the community.
After pictures of the massive crowds at the event were broadcast in the media, Professor Ronni Gamzu - who directs the government's response to the coronavirus pandemic - expressed his anger at the Hassidic court and the rabbi's behavior and warned that elderly people in attendance could become seriously ill with COVID-19.
13 aug 2020
Health Ministry reports another 3 people have died from COVID-19 since midnight, while 17 more people are now seriously ill with the disease; Herzliya, Givatayim and Afula lead the list of cities with lowest rate of virus spread
The Health Ministry said on Thursday morning there has been another increase in coronavirus patients in a serious condition, including those requiring respiratory support.
According to the report, the number of seriously ill patients has increased by 17 cases and now stands at 386, of which 114 are ventilated, an increase of four.
The ministry added that on Wednesday 1,612 people tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the number of active patients to 23,416. With 25,030 tests conducted, the contagion rate now stands at 6.8%.
Another three people have died from coronavirus-related complications since midnight, bringing the total death toll to 643.
The Health Ministry said on Thursday morning there has been another increase in coronavirus patients in a serious condition, including those requiring respiratory support.
According to the report, the number of seriously ill patients has increased by 17 cases and now stands at 386, of which 114 are ventilated, an increase of four.
The ministry added that on Wednesday 1,612 people tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the number of active patients to 23,416. With 25,030 tests conducted, the contagion rate now stands at 6.8%.
Another three people have died from coronavirus-related complications since midnight, bringing the total death toll to 643.
12 aug 2020
There are 375 people in serious condition, 110 of them on ventilators while new cases indicate 6.7% of 26,360 tests conducted found positive; Gamzu warns crowded gatherings must stop or lock-down inevitable
The Health Ministry said on Wednesday that 11 more people have died and 1,875 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed on Tuesday in 26,360 tests indicating a 6.7% positivity rate.
As of 7 AM on Wednesday 102 more cases were detected from only 3,581 tests.
There are currently 793 patients battling the virus in hospitals around the country with 170 considered to be in serious condition of which 110 are on ventilators.
Since the start of the pandemic, 622 people have lost their lives to coronavirus.
The Health Ministry said on Wednesday that 11 more people have died and 1,875 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed on Tuesday in 26,360 tests indicating a 6.7% positivity rate.
As of 7 AM on Wednesday 102 more cases were detected from only 3,581 tests.
There are currently 793 patients battling the virus in hospitals around the country with 170 considered to be in serious condition of which 110 are on ventilators.
Since the start of the pandemic, 622 people have lost their lives to coronavirus.
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