Israel News

Israel’s Health Ministry released data on Monday showing that the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine appears to largely prevent hospitalization and serious cases, but is significantly less effective against preventing the spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus.

The Israeli military launched an airstrike late on Saturday against Hamas facilities after the group launched incendiary balloons from the Gaza Strip.

In what has been understood as a warning to Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett stated Wednesday that Israel will always defend itself, by itself, against any external threat, the Jerusalem Post reports. The PM made his remarks as the UN Security Council in New York debated Iran’s compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal.

Israel’s defense technology company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd has unveiled “Sea Breaker,” a 5th generation high-end precision-guided missile system designed to carry out surgical, pin-point strikes from distances of up to 300 km. “Sea Breaker is a naval and artillery unit force-multiplier, designed to overcome the modern warfare arena challenges,” Rafael said in a June 29 press statement.

Israeli warplanes bombed a Hamas weapons factory in the Gaza Strip after midnight Thursday in response to a fresh wave of arson balloon attacks launched at Israel from the coastal enclave, , the Israel Defense Forces said.

As COVID cases in Israel are rising again, and in light of the possible impact the new, highly contagious Delta variant may have in the country, Israeli health officials are considering reinstituting the “green pass” system that allows only those who have been vaccinated to attend indoor public spaces like restaurants, All Israel News reported on July 1. Israel has already reimposed the indoor mask mandate that was lifted just a few weeks ago.

If coronavirus morbidity was to dramatically increase, the possibility of closing the airport might be on the table again, Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked said on Wednesday at Ben-Gurion Airport, as Israel registered almost 300 cases for the second day in a row.

Researchers at Tel Aviv University on Wednesday unveiled “the world’s tiniest technology,” aimed at storing information on the thinnest unit known to science.

As the violent conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip continues to have no resolution, Israel has developed a high-tech semi-autonomous “military robot” that could be used instead of IDF soldiers to patrol its border with Gaza, Eursasian Times reports. Known as ‘Jaguar,’ the “robot” is an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) that will be able to identify and destroy enemy targets remotely.

The top leaders of terrorist groups Hezbollah and Hamas held talks in Beirut on Tuesday about last month’s 11-day war with Israel in the Gaza Strip.

In a development that may eventually replace antibody therapeutics for humans, Israeli scientists have produced a “GPS-guided” nanoparticle drug that can precisely target inflamed unhealthy cells in mice without affecting surrounding healthy immune cells, the Times of Israel reports. Researchers say the drug may be ready for human trials within two years.

Israel and the United States share the same basic values even if they may disagree on how to achieve their goals, Israeli Foreign Minister told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at a meeting in Rome on Sunday, the Jerusalem Post reports. America is Israel’s most important and loyal ally, Lapid reiterated, adding that the two countries’ new governments come from a very long and strong tradition of close friendship and cooperation.

US President Joe Biden sought to assure Israel that he would not tolerate a nuclear Iran as he met with outgoing Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on Monday amid growing angst over the US administration’s effort to reenter the Iran nuclear deal.

Thousands marched through the streets of Hebron on Friday at the funeral of a Palestinian Authority critic who died in PA custody, with many calling for the end of President Mahmoud Abbas’s 16-year rule.

Israeli survivability products company Polaris Solutions has developed a camouflage technology that renders soldiers on the battlefield virtually undetectable.

Police said they arrested roughly 50 suspects while securing Friday’s Pride Parade in Tel Aviv, including several who allegedly sought to harm the tens of thousands of revelers at the mass festival.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett for the first time on Thursday publicly presented the shift on Iran policy from the previous government, saying that Israel will work closely with its allies on countering Tehran’s nuclear program, while maintaining a credible military threat.

In an apparent warning to Hamas, Defense Minister Benny Gantz said that Israel would not hesitate to invade “enemy territory” during its next war.

The Biden administration reaffirmed a U.S. commitment not to allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons as IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi wrapped up four days of discussions with American defense and intelligence officials.

Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel David Lau said Wednesday that the body of a Christian missionary who posed as a Jew for years should be reburied in a non-Jewish cemetery.