Israel News for 10-23-2020

News Update

The Health Ministry reported 895 new coronavirus cases on Thursday. The contagion rate has dropped to 2.6%. There are currently 17,869 active cases of which 580 people are hospitalized in serious condition and 227 on ventilators. There have been 2,319 coronavirus related deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz met U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper at the Pentagon on Thursday where they signed a joint declaration confirming Washington’s strategic commitment to maintaining Israel’s qualitative military edge in the Middle East. After the signing of the agreement, a senior defense official remarked that Saudi Arabia may soon enter into peace talks with Israel.

An Israeli delegation visited Sudan on Wednesday to discuss normalizing relations between the 2 countries. Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen told Channel 13 News that he believed Israel was “very close to normalizing ties with Sudan.”