Israel News for 9-30-2020
News Update
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The Health Ministry reported 4,949 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, despite limited testing. There are currently 65,149 active cases of which 810 people are hospitalized in serious condition and 205 on ventilators. There have been 1,547 coronavirus related deaths since the start of the pandemic. Israel has now surpassed the US in the number of daily deaths per capita from COVID-19. According to a report by the Coronavirus Information and Knowledge Center, run by the IDF, “Given the rise in infections in those over the age of 60, we expect that the number of serious cases will continue to rise significantly in the near future.”
Large crowds gathered at several newly opened Coronavirus testing centers in ultra-orthodox neighborhoods. But the crowds were not, for the most part, socially distant, which could exacerbate the contagion rate. A third of all new infections is coming from the ultra-orthodox community.
The Knesset today passed a law banning Israelis from holding demonstrations more than 1 km from their homes, in order to stem the spread of the virus. Critics of the new law say it was really intended to block protests near PM Netanyahu’s official residence in Jerusalem. For weeks, thousands of Israelis have been gathering at the official residence to protest against Netanyahu and call for his resignation.
During a speech to the UN General Assembly yesterday, PM Netanyahu identified several sites in Beirut where Hezbollah is allegedly storing thousands of missiles. The weapons, stored in residential neighborhoods, could cause massive explosions, like the one that recently claimed hundreds of lives at the Beirut port.
