Israel News

Coronavirus phone tracking doesn’t just tell governments more or less where their citizens are, but can also show the phone owners’ ‘micro-environment’ and provide a treasure trove of information about their physical surroundings, a systems engineer behind key technology being used in the battle against the spread of coronavirus has revealed.

The Health Ministry announced 274 new confirmed coronavirus cases Tuesday evening, bringing the total in Israel to 1,930.

The Israeli government will impose stiff new restrictions designed to limit the movement of the public as the country continues to struggle against the deadly coronavirus.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his rival Benny Gantz on Tuesday both expressed willingness to continue efforts to form a unity government that would include both their parties, even as Likud and Blue and White kept hurling accusations at each other.

The number of diagnosed cases of the deadly coronavirus in Israel took another leap Monday, reaching 1,442, an increase of 371 since the day before.

The unemployment rate in Israel has skyrocketed to 16.5 percent, with over 500,000 people losing their jobs since the start of March, the Employment Service said Sunday.

Israeli Likud and Blue and White parties are nearing an agreement to form an emergency unity government after Netanyahu rival Benny Gantz relinquished his former refusal to work with the beleaguered Prime Minister.

Dubbing its efforts against the coronavirus ‘Ray of Light,’ the Israel Defense Forces on Thursday said it was moving to a higher state of readiness, one normally reserved for preparation for an enemy attack, which the military stresses was not in light of external threats but rather because of the pandemic.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday tightened the national stay-at-home policy aimed at containing the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, announcing the guidelines he had introduced earlier this week would now be enforced by police under emergency orders.

Israel announced Wednesday that it was barring all foreigners from entering the country to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The Health Ministry announced Wednesday it has begun using mass surveillance tools to retrace the movements of coronavirus carriers and has already informed 400 people in contact with them that they must enter quarantine.

Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan has instructed the Israel Police to prepare for a complete lockdown of the country, calling such a move ‘inevitable.’

The Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday accused the Hezbollah terror group and the Syrian army of being behind an attempted sniping attack against Israeli soldiers in the Golan Heights earlier this month, which was thwarted by an Israeli strike on the suspects’ car.

Israel’s caretaker government unanimously approved on Tuesday a measure allowing security services to deploy advanced digital monitoring tools in an effort track carriers of the coronavirus, despite widespread privacy concerns.

The Israel Defense Forces indicated Monday its primary foe in the region, Iran, was curbing its activities as it grapples with a major outbreak of the coronavirus.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday announced that Israel would begin using advanced digital monitoring tools to track carriers of the coronavirus, raising major privacy concerns and prompting accusations of mass surveillance.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin will task Blue and White leader Benny Gantz with forming the next government, after the leftist former IDF chief gained a majority of seats in the Knesset with unexpected support.

Islamic religious authorities have closed the Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock as a precautionary measure against the spread of the coronavirus. However, outdoor prayers will still be permitted outside the two shrines housed in Jerusalem.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Israel climbed to 164 on Saturday, up 21 from Friday, with nearly 40,000 currently in home quarantines according to the Israeli Health Ministry. Of those with the virus, two are still in serious condition, 10 are in moderate condition, and four have recovered.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a meeting at his office in Jerusalem late on Saturday afternoon to discuss further, more stringent measures Israel may take to halt the coronavirus pandemic.