29 june 2020

The Health Ministry says 3.5% of those tested, found positive for coronavirus with numbers growing in hard-hit Jerusalem and Ashdod; 43 hospitalized in serious condition, 24 on ventilators
The number of coronavirus patients since midnight has risen by 432, Health Ministry officials reported Thursday.
Of the 6,768 Israelis currently battling COVID-19, there are 43 patients in serious condition of which 24 are on ventilators.
According to the Health Ministry, 3.5% of those tested are found to be positive for the virus with hard-hit Ashdod reporting 55 new cases and Jerusalem also hit hard reporting 77 new cases.
Earlier on Monday Israel's ministerial committee to deal with the pandemic unanimously accepted a Health Ministry recommendation to limit most social gatherings to just 50 people and weddings indoors, to no more than 100 from July 9 to July 31.
During the meeting, Defense Minister Benny Gantz called for the operational side of dealing with the pandemic to be transferred to the Defense Ministry.
"The Health Ministry should have overall responsibility and the execution should be handled by the Defense Ministry and the [IDF] Home Front Command, which have the best tools - from hotels to direct contact with all authorities," he said.
Israel sees 18% rise in serious coronavirus cases
The number of coronavirus patients hospitalized in a serious condition has increased by 18% overnight, health officials reported Monday morning.
Israel in recent weeks has seen a resurgence of COVID-19, with the government set to debate later in the day whether to reimpose some of the restrictions on movement lifted earlier.
The Health Ministry said the number of patients in a serious condition currently stands at 46, among them 24 patients on ventilators, two more from Sunday evening.
Since midnight, 159 Israelis have tested positive for coronavirus and one patient succumbed to the disease. The total number of virus fatalities in the country currently stand at 319.
Health authorities conducted 10,138 coronavirus tests on Sunday, with 374 people testing positive for the pathogen, which represents 4% infection rate.
There are currently 222 coronavirus patients being treated in hospitals, with the number of active patients standing at 6,556.
Over the past three days, Jerusalem recorded the biggest rise in virus cases with 100 new diagnoses, followed by Ashdod with 74 and Bnei Brak with 60.
The Bedouin town of Ar'arat an-Naqab in the Negev boasts the highest rate of infection spread in the country, with 27 new diagnoses over the past three days.
The number of coronavirus patients since midnight has risen by 432, Health Ministry officials reported Thursday.
Of the 6,768 Israelis currently battling COVID-19, there are 43 patients in serious condition of which 24 are on ventilators.
According to the Health Ministry, 3.5% of those tested are found to be positive for the virus with hard-hit Ashdod reporting 55 new cases and Jerusalem also hit hard reporting 77 new cases.
Earlier on Monday Israel's ministerial committee to deal with the pandemic unanimously accepted a Health Ministry recommendation to limit most social gatherings to just 50 people and weddings indoors, to no more than 100 from July 9 to July 31.
During the meeting, Defense Minister Benny Gantz called for the operational side of dealing with the pandemic to be transferred to the Defense Ministry.
"The Health Ministry should have overall responsibility and the execution should be handled by the Defense Ministry and the [IDF] Home Front Command, which have the best tools - from hotels to direct contact with all authorities," he said.
Israel sees 18% rise in serious coronavirus cases
The number of coronavirus patients hospitalized in a serious condition has increased by 18% overnight, health officials reported Monday morning.
Israel in recent weeks has seen a resurgence of COVID-19, with the government set to debate later in the day whether to reimpose some of the restrictions on movement lifted earlier.
The Health Ministry said the number of patients in a serious condition currently stands at 46, among them 24 patients on ventilators, two more from Sunday evening.
Since midnight, 159 Israelis have tested positive for coronavirus and one patient succumbed to the disease. The total number of virus fatalities in the country currently stand at 319.
Health authorities conducted 10,138 coronavirus tests on Sunday, with 374 people testing positive for the pathogen, which represents 4% infection rate.
There are currently 222 coronavirus patients being treated in hospitals, with the number of active patients standing at 6,556.
Over the past three days, Jerusalem recorded the biggest rise in virus cases with 100 new diagnoses, followed by Ashdod with 74 and Bnei Brak with 60.
The Bedouin town of Ar'arat an-Naqab in the Negev boasts the highest rate of infection spread in the country, with 27 new diagnoses over the past three days.

Former Israeli athletics champion recently indicted on charges of sex trafficking Svetlana Gnezdilov
Annual paper published by U.S. State Department reveals 73 individuals were recognized by Israel as victims in 2019; 38 victims of sex trafficking, 34 victims of forced labor
Israel has for the night year in a row topped the international list of countries in the battle against human trafficking, a U.S. government report said.
The U.S. State Department paper said that during 2019, Israel reported to have received 96 referrals from NGOs and government sources about potential victims of human trafficking in the country.
Of the 96 referrals, 73 individuals were recognized by the Israeli government as victims, including 58 women and 15 men, with 38 being victims of sex trafficking and 34 victims of forced labor.
In 2019, the police initiated 125 investigations, including 110 probes into potential sex trafficking crimes, eight forced labor crimes, and seven child sex trafficking violations.
The Legal Aid Department at the Justice Ministry provided free legal aid to trafficking victims, with staff members regularly visiting shelters and facilities to provide consultations.
In 2019, the branch received 86 requests for legal aid from victims of sex-trafficking, including 16 illegal migrants who claim to have been subjected to human trafficking abuses in the Sinai Peninsula along Israel's border with Egypt.
In the first nine months of 2019, the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs and Social Services issued 415 administrative warnings, imposed 53 fines - worth NIS 9.6 million ($2.78 million) in total - and processed four criminal complaints that resulted in five indictments on charges of forces labor.
The government, in cooperation with various NGOs, continues to operate a 24-hour hotline, which last year employed 13 interpreters in nine languages: Chinese, Thai, Bulgarian, Russian, Nepalese, Sinhalese, Romanian, Ukrainian, and Turkish. In 2019, the hotline received 3,467 calls.
The annual reports, published each year since 2001, ranks countries by three different categories – prosecution, protection and prevention – divided into three tiers: 1, 2, 2 Watch List and 3.
Countries in Tier 3 are in danger of being subject to U.S. and international sanctions.
Israel has found its way to Tier 2 in the past, but since 2012 has consistently remained in Tier 1, along with Australia, Japan, Belgium, France, UK, Portugal and Argentina.
Some of the countries found in Tier 3 include Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Venezuela and Russia.
Annual paper published by U.S. State Department reveals 73 individuals were recognized by Israel as victims in 2019; 38 victims of sex trafficking, 34 victims of forced labor
Israel has for the night year in a row topped the international list of countries in the battle against human trafficking, a U.S. government report said.
The U.S. State Department paper said that during 2019, Israel reported to have received 96 referrals from NGOs and government sources about potential victims of human trafficking in the country.
Of the 96 referrals, 73 individuals were recognized by the Israeli government as victims, including 58 women and 15 men, with 38 being victims of sex trafficking and 34 victims of forced labor.
In 2019, the police initiated 125 investigations, including 110 probes into potential sex trafficking crimes, eight forced labor crimes, and seven child sex trafficking violations.
The Legal Aid Department at the Justice Ministry provided free legal aid to trafficking victims, with staff members regularly visiting shelters and facilities to provide consultations.
In 2019, the branch received 86 requests for legal aid from victims of sex-trafficking, including 16 illegal migrants who claim to have been subjected to human trafficking abuses in the Sinai Peninsula along Israel's border with Egypt.
In the first nine months of 2019, the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs and Social Services issued 415 administrative warnings, imposed 53 fines - worth NIS 9.6 million ($2.78 million) in total - and processed four criminal complaints that resulted in five indictments on charges of forces labor.
The government, in cooperation with various NGOs, continues to operate a 24-hour hotline, which last year employed 13 interpreters in nine languages: Chinese, Thai, Bulgarian, Russian, Nepalese, Sinhalese, Romanian, Ukrainian, and Turkish. In 2019, the hotline received 3,467 calls.
The annual reports, published each year since 2001, ranks countries by three different categories – prosecution, protection and prevention – divided into three tiers: 1, 2, 2 Watch List and 3.
Countries in Tier 3 are in danger of being subject to U.S. and international sanctions.
Israel has found its way to Tier 2 in the past, but since 2012 has consistently remained in Tier 1, along with Australia, Japan, Belgium, France, UK, Portugal and Argentina.
Some of the countries found in Tier 3 include Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Venezuela and Russia.
28 june 2020

At least 397 more people tested positive for coronavirus on Saturday, with the infection rate jumping to highest since the peak of the epidemic in Israel, health officials confirmed.
The Coronavirus National Information and Knowledge Center reported on Sunday that despite the low overall number of infected, with 9,725 COVID-19 tests conducted, the latest sick tally represents a worrying 4% contagion rate.
The death toll from coronavirus-related complications has risen to 318, with the number of patients requiring hospitalization now stands at 212.
Beit She'an, a city where until a few days ago no coronavirus infections had been recorded, reported 18 new cases over the past weekend, with the total now standing at 29.
According to the Health Ministry, over the past three days, the rate of infection in the northern city has jumped to 163.6%.
The southern city of Dimona has also seen a worrying increase over the past few days, with the number of active patients jumping from 2 to 31 in less than a week.
In the Arab town of Tira, where last week only one active coronavirus patient was reported, the number of sick now stands at 24. Another Arab town of Kafr Qasim, reported 18 new patients on Saturday despite recording only two last week.
The Coronavirus National Information and Knowledge Center reported on Sunday that despite the low overall number of infected, with 9,725 COVID-19 tests conducted, the latest sick tally represents a worrying 4% contagion rate.
The death toll from coronavirus-related complications has risen to 318, with the number of patients requiring hospitalization now stands at 212.
Beit She'an, a city where until a few days ago no coronavirus infections had been recorded, reported 18 new cases over the past weekend, with the total now standing at 29.
According to the Health Ministry, over the past three days, the rate of infection in the northern city has jumped to 163.6%.
The southern city of Dimona has also seen a worrying increase over the past few days, with the number of active patients jumping from 2 to 31 in less than a week.
In the Arab town of Tira, where last week only one active coronavirus patient was reported, the number of sick now stands at 24. Another Arab town of Kafr Qasim, reported 18 new patients on Saturday despite recording only two last week.
27 june 2020

A 19-year-old woman died of COVID-19, becoming the country's youngest victim of the pandemic, Hadassah Medical Center reported on Saturday.
The deceased suffered from several preexisting medical conditions that made her highly vulnerable to the respiratory disease, including pulmonary hypertension, obesity and congestive heart failure.
She was in critical condition requiring artificial lung ventilation for the last 10 days.
The patient was also reportedly given an experimental treatment, a passive vaccine containing gamma globulins.
According to the hospital, several staff entered quarantine to the patient's large viral load and the lengthy resuscitations she underwent.
This takes the pandemic death toll in Israel to 315.
The country saw a sharp rise in virus cases in the course of the last week, with at least 2,135 new coronavirus diagnoses, more than the whole prior month of May.
The deceased suffered from several preexisting medical conditions that made her highly vulnerable to the respiratory disease, including pulmonary hypertension, obesity and congestive heart failure.
She was in critical condition requiring artificial lung ventilation for the last 10 days.
The patient was also reportedly given an experimental treatment, a passive vaccine containing gamma globulins.
According to the hospital, several staff entered quarantine to the patient's large viral load and the lengthy resuscitations she underwent.
This takes the pandemic death toll in Israel to 315.
The country saw a sharp rise in virus cases in the course of the last week, with at least 2,135 new coronavirus diagnoses, more than the whole prior month of May.
26 june 2020

Israel has seen 499 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry said Friday afternoon.
The total death toll from COVID-19 has also risen by five to 313.
The number of people on ventilators remains at 28, with 43 people in serious condition.
There are currently 5,736 active cases of the virus in Israel, with 192 people receiving treatment in hospital.
Israel on Thursday conducted almost 17,000 tests for the disease, and has called on healthcare providers to increase the number of tests in areas where the disease is prominent.
At 8am Friday, new regulations came into effect in areas designated as restricted zones by the government's so called “coronavirus committee.”
In Bat Yam, which was designated a restricted zone after 40 new coronavirus cases were found in the central coastal city in just three days, educational institutions were closed, gatherings of more than 10 people were banned and authorities increased enforcement at weddings and other venues.
The coronavirus committee has also decided to designate “Neighborhood 2” in the Bedouin village of Ar’arat in the Negev as a restricted area until July 1.
Meanwhile, restrictions in the Ajami neighborhood in Jaffa and the city of Rahat were removed, although enforcement will be stepped up in both cities.
The total death toll from COVID-19 has also risen by five to 313.
The number of people on ventilators remains at 28, with 43 people in serious condition.
There are currently 5,736 active cases of the virus in Israel, with 192 people receiving treatment in hospital.
Israel on Thursday conducted almost 17,000 tests for the disease, and has called on healthcare providers to increase the number of tests in areas where the disease is prominent.
At 8am Friday, new regulations came into effect in areas designated as restricted zones by the government's so called “coronavirus committee.”
In Bat Yam, which was designated a restricted zone after 40 new coronavirus cases were found in the central coastal city in just three days, educational institutions were closed, gatherings of more than 10 people were banned and authorities increased enforcement at weddings and other venues.
The coronavirus committee has also decided to designate “Neighborhood 2” in the Bedouin village of Ar’arat in the Negev as a restricted area until July 1.
Meanwhile, restrictions in the Ajami neighborhood in Jaffa and the city of Rahat were removed, although enforcement will be stepped up in both cities.
25 june 2020

Israel's ultra-Orthodox deputy transportation minister on Thursday called for all buses operating in Haredi communities to be gender segregated, urging women to agree to a discriminatory arrangement and occupy seats at the back of buses.
"It's a justified arrangement, this isn't discrimination but for the benefit of women," said United Torah Judaism lawmaker Uri Maklev in an interview with Haredi newspaper Bakehila (in the community)."
In January 2011, the High Court of Justice ruled that gender segregation was unlawful and abolished the "Mehadrin" public buses.
However, the ruling allows the continuation of gender segregation in public buses on a strictly voluntary basis and some such bus lines still operate today within predominately Haredi communities.
Asked if it was possible to reintroduce "Mehadrin" bus lines that exclusively serve the ultra-Orthodox community, Maklev said that in the current political situation such a move would require legislation.
"With all the 'anti' activities around, unfortunately, it is safe to assume no one would advance such a bill," Maklev said. "The [religious] public just needs to accept it and act accordingly."
"It's a justified arrangement, this isn't discrimination but for the benefit of women," said United Torah Judaism lawmaker Uri Maklev in an interview with Haredi newspaper Bakehila (in the community)."
In January 2011, the High Court of Justice ruled that gender segregation was unlawful and abolished the "Mehadrin" public buses.
However, the ruling allows the continuation of gender segregation in public buses on a strictly voluntary basis and some such bus lines still operate today within predominately Haredi communities.
Asked if it was possible to reintroduce "Mehadrin" bus lines that exclusively serve the ultra-Orthodox community, Maklev said that in the current political situation such a move would require legislation.
"With all the 'anti' activities around, unfortunately, it is safe to assume no one would advance such a bill," Maklev said. "The [religious] public just needs to accept it and act accordingly."

The Health Ministry on Wednesday reported 473 new confirmed cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours, the highest number of daily virus diagnoses since April 9.
There were 5,796 Israelis battling the deadly pathogen, 46 of which were in serious condition, among them 28 patients on ventilators, an increase of one since Tuesday night. Another 41 Israelis were in moderate condition and the rest displayed only mild or no symptoms at all.
However, the number of hospitalizations continued its downward trend of recent days and stood at 189 patients. So far,15,940 Israelis have made a full recovery.
Health authorities reported that 16,990 tests had been conducted on Wednesday, with 2.6% of them returning positive. This is the highest rate of positive diagnoses in the passing week, despite an already high increase in coronavirus illness.
There were no new fatalities recorded in the passing day, and the number of Israelis who succumbed to COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, remained at 308.
The southern city of Ashdod recorded a steep hike in new virus cases, with 34 people testing positive. Other coronavirus hotspots included Jerusalem, with 39 new cases, and Tel Aviv, with 28 new cases. The town of Elad, which has been put under lockdown due to a sharp rise in coronavirus illness, recorded 4 new cases.
Since the beginning of the week, 1,392 new infections were reported - more than the number of infections recorded during the entire month of May. Since the beginning of June, 4,972 patients have been tested positive for coronavirus in total.
There were 5,796 Israelis battling the deadly pathogen, 46 of which were in serious condition, among them 28 patients on ventilators, an increase of one since Tuesday night. Another 41 Israelis were in moderate condition and the rest displayed only mild or no symptoms at all.
However, the number of hospitalizations continued its downward trend of recent days and stood at 189 patients. So far,15,940 Israelis have made a full recovery.
Health authorities reported that 16,990 tests had been conducted on Wednesday, with 2.6% of them returning positive. This is the highest rate of positive diagnoses in the passing week, despite an already high increase in coronavirus illness.
There were no new fatalities recorded in the passing day, and the number of Israelis who succumbed to COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, remained at 308.
The southern city of Ashdod recorded a steep hike in new virus cases, with 34 people testing positive. Other coronavirus hotspots included Jerusalem, with 39 new cases, and Tel Aviv, with 28 new cases. The town of Elad, which has been put under lockdown due to a sharp rise in coronavirus illness, recorded 4 new cases.
Since the beginning of the week, 1,392 new infections were reported - more than the number of infections recorded during the entire month of May. Since the beginning of June, 4,972 patients have been tested positive for coronavirus in total.
22 june 2020

An Israeli soldier that went missing on Thursday night, was found dead outside the army base in southern Israel, on Saturday, the Times of Israel reported.
The military identified the deceased as Staff Sgt. Adiel Fishler, who was serving in the 460th Armored Brigade at the Shizafon army Base.
Soldiers from the young man’s brigade discovered the young man’s body, close to the base. No evidence of foul play was reported.
Staff Sgt. Adiel Fishler, 21, was seen leaving the base on Thursday night, in uniform and armed with an M-16 rifle.
The military said that Israeli troops, the military police, the air force and others searched from Friday morning until Saturday.
The Israeli Defense Forces stated that the Military Police launched an investigation into the young man’s unexplained death.
The military identified the deceased as Staff Sgt. Adiel Fishler, who was serving in the 460th Armored Brigade at the Shizafon army Base.
Soldiers from the young man’s brigade discovered the young man’s body, close to the base. No evidence of foul play was reported.
Staff Sgt. Adiel Fishler, 21, was seen leaving the base on Thursday night, in uniform and armed with an M-16 rifle.
The military said that Israeli troops, the military police, the air force and others searched from Friday morning until Saturday.
The Israeli Defense Forces stated that the Military Police launched an investigation into the young man’s unexplained death.
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