The Beersheba District Court delivered a landmark verdict Sunday, finding two directors of the Bnei Zion pre-military academy guilty of negligent manslaughter in the deaths of 10 teenagers who died in a flash flood during a 2018 hiking expedition at Nahal Tzafit. The ruling comes after a protracted six-year legal battle that has deeply affected Israeli society's approach to outdoor educational activities.

Yuval Kahan, the academy's head, and Aviv Bardichev, its educational director, faced charges in what became one of Israel's most devastating outdoor activity disasters. In his ruling, the judge emphasized that while reasonable doubt existed regarding Bardichev's awareness of the danger, both defendants' actions warranted conviction for negligent manslaughter, an offense carrying a maximum three-year sentence.

The tragedy unfolded during an orientation trip for academy candidates in April 2018, claiming the lives of Ilan Bar-Shalom, Ella Or, Maayan Barhoum, Yael Sadan, Shani Shamir, Romi Cohen, Agam Levy, Tzur Alfi, Gali Balali and Adi Raanan, who were caught in sudden flash floods.

In his detailed ruling, the judge highlighted a pattern of administrative failures and dismissed warnings. "Multiple stakeholders within and outside the academy expressed serious concerns about the trip's viability," he stated, noting how Kahan "exploited his position" to override these concerns, creating pressure on other staff members to proceed despite the risks.

The court emphasized the absence of clear, documented protocols for adverse weather conditions and criticized the flawed assessment of weather forecasts. A crucial conversation between Kahan and Bardichev the night before the tragedy revealed significant confusion about the planned route. "Even when Kahan recognized the weather-related dangers, he failed to contact the field guide or provide necessary instructions," the judge noted, adding that this abdication of responsibility might have been the critical factor in failing to prevent the disaster.

Speaking to Israel Hayom before the verdict, Sarit Angel Or, mother of victim Ella, described the enduring impact on the bereaved families. "For six and a half years, our nights haven't been the same," she said, explaining her decision to avoid the courtroom proceedings. "You're just a 'puppet' in the courtroom – you can't ask questions or express opinions. The state is the one prosecuting these defendants."

Or emphasized the systemic nature of the failure while acknowledging the complexity of the case. "The guilty parties aren't murderers, but they certainly didn't follow protocols. There was great arrogance on their part, and no one can fight against nature. They should have known about the floods in advance.

"I learned that the academy wasn't even aware of the 2008 law regarding trip regulations, and our disaster happened in 2018. After the defendants face justice, I want to sit down and talk with them face to face. I'll ask the difficult questions that remain in my heart."

Eti Balali, whose daughter Gali died in the flood, expressed her frustration over the lengthy legal process and what she perceived as a lack of remorse. The defendants' apparent disregard for multiple warnings, received from a week before the trip until moments before entering the creek, particularly troubled the bereaved families.

Itzik Or, father of Ella Or, voiced hope that the verdict would serve as a watershed moment for safety protocols in Israel. "I hope and pray the guilty parties will pay their debt to society," he stated, "so others will see and learn, and this disregard for safety in Israel that leads to unnecessary deaths of innocent people will end."

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A powerful typhoon slammed into the southeastern Philippines Thursday and was blowing across island provinces where nearly 100,000 people have been evacuated from high-risk areas that could be devastated by flash floods, landslides and tidal surges, officials said.

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There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage but military and coast guard rescue personnel were helping residents stranded by fast-rising waters. Disaster-response officials said about 10,000 villages lie in the projected path of the typhoon, which has a 400-kilometer (248-mile)-wide rain band and is one of the strongest to hit the country this year.

The Philippine coast guard said it has grounded all vessels, stranding nearly 4,000 passengers and workers in dozens of southern and central ports. Several mostly domestic flights have been canceled and schools and workplaces were shut in the most vulnerable areas.

Crowding in evacuation centers was complicating efforts to keep people safely distanced after authorities detected the country's first infections caused by the Omicron coronavirus variant. Vaccinations were also halted in provinces likely to experience stormy weather.

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This year's Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement is being awarded to ZAKA founder Yehuda Meshi-Zahav and Dr. Yosef Chachnover, former director general of the Foreign Ministry, Education Minister Yoav Gallant announced Tuesday.

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Meshi-Zahav recently lost both his parents to COVID-19, shortly after his brother succumbed to a serious illness.

The prize committee said that Meshi-Zahav was being awarded the lifetime achievement prize "for his exceptional contribution, both in providing help in disaster situations and for his work strengthening unity and bringing people closer together in Israeli society."

Meshi-Zahav has been the head of ZAKA for three decades. Under his leadership, the organization has played a vital role in rescues, saving lives, and identifying remains at scenes of tragedies in Israel and abroad.

"Yehuda Meshi-Zahav is devoting his life to unifying Israel, out of a feeling of devotion and true faith in the need to build bridges and carry on dialogue between all sectors of society as the key to living together in Israel," the prize committee wrote.

In response to the announcement, Meshi-Zahav told Israel Hayom: "I'm going to visit my parents' graves to tell them about the prize, and give them a few moments of joy. The prize isn't mine, it belongs to the thousands of men and women who volunteer with ZAKA who have shown that things can be done differently, and that is possible to make a positive connection with the people of Israel."

The prize committee said it was also recognizing Chachnover's life work, which it said "made a major contribution to the country in a variety of areas: security, economy, law, and foreign relations. Throughout the years of his service, he had a deciding influence in promoting Israel's interests at watershed moments."

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Employees at the National Sea Turtle Rescue Center have discovered that mayonnaise is incredibly effective in cleaning out the digestive tracks of sea turtles that were affected by the devastating oil spill that occurred last week.

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The spill, which the Nature and Parks Authority called one of the country's worst ecological disasters on record, coated most of Israel's 120 miles of Mediterranean coastline with sticky tar. It caused extensive damage to wildlife, including sea turtles.

Guy Ivgy, a medical assistant at the rescue center said that 11 turtles were being treated on site. "When the turtles arrived all their trachea from inside and outside was full of tar. We continue to feed them substances like mayonnaise, which practically clean the system and break down the tar."

The recovery process is expected to take a week or two, after which the turtles will be released back into the wild.

Thousands of volunteers have mobilized to remove tar from Israel's beaches, a task that is expected to take months.

Israel's Environmental Protection Ministry said it was investigating the cause of the spill.

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The investigation into the oil spill that stained Israel's shores last week has been placed under a gag order, the Environmental Protection Ministry announced Saturday. The spill is Israel's worst natural disaster in decades.

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The order, issued by Haifa Magistrates' Court Judge Zaid Falah, is valid for seven days and is comprehensive. As such, it bars any mention of the particulars of the investigation and any details that might identify the suspects.

The court's ruling drew immediate criticism from politicians and environmental organizations alike.

"Hiding all matters that are connected to the investigation of the tar disaster is a fatal blow to the public's trust in the government and its regulators, whose job it is to ensure the safety of the public and the environment," the Israel Union for Environmental Defense said in a statement.

The Environmental Protection Ministry noted that, contrary to reports suggesting otherwise, it received no warning of the disaster in advance, neither by international nor Israeli sources.

The incident was "an environmental crime," which allegedly took place more than 50 kilometers (31 miles) off the coast, outside of  Israel territorial waters, the ministry said.

According to the ministry, as soon as it discovered the spill, it appealed to European allies for assistanace in detecting the source using satellite footage, which revealed 10 possible suspects.

"As soon as we identify and locate the ship [responsible for the disaster,] we will contact the authorities of the relevant country to take action and complete all [necessary legal] proceedings against the suspected ship," the ministry said.

Meanwhile, volunteers continued the beach cleanup operation. Unfortunately, some beaches had to be cleaned a second time as more tar had washed up throughout the night.

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Isaias weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm late Saturday afternoon, but was still expected to bring heavy rain and flooding as it barrels toward Florida.

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"Don't be fooled by the downgrade," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned during a news conference on Saturday after the storm – pronounced ees-ah-EE-ahs – spent hours roughing up the Bahamas.

Florida authorities closed beaches, parks, and virus testing sites, lashing signs to palm trees so they wouldn't blow away. The governor said the state is anticipating power outages and asked residents to have a week's supply of water, food, and medicine on hand. Officials wrestled with how to prepare shelters where people can seek refuge from the storm if necessary, while safely social distancing to prevent the spread of the virus.

In Palm Beach County, about 150 people were in shelters, said emergency management spokeswoman Lisa De La Rionda. The county has a voluntary evacuation order for those living in mobile or manufactured homes, or those who feel their home can't withstand winds.

"We don't anticipate many more evacuations," she said, adding that the evacuees are physically distant from each other and are wearing masks, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Isaias is piling another burden on communities already hard-hit by other storms and sickness.

The storm's maximum sustained winds declined steadily throughout Saturday, and were at 65 mph (100 kph) by Sunday morning, the US National Hurricane Center said in an advisory.

The center of the storm was forecast to approach the southeast coast of Florida early Sunday morning, then travel up the state's east coast throughout the day. Little change was expected in the storm's strength over the next few days, forecasters said.

Heavy rain, flooding, and high winds could batter much of the East Coast this week as the system is forecast to track up or just off the Atlantic seaboard.

Despite the approaching storm, NASA says the return of two astronauts aboard a SpaceX capsule is still on track for Sunday afternoon. Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken are preparing to make the first splashdown return in 45 years, after two months docked at the International Space Station. They are aiming for the Gulf of Mexico just off the Florida Panhandle, and flight controllers are keeping close watch on the storm.

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Isaias has already been destructive in the Caribbean: On Thursday, before it became a hurricane, it uprooted trees, destroyed crops and homes, and caused widespread flooding and small landslides in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. One man died in the Dominican Republic.

In Puerto Rico, the National Guard rescued at least 35 people from floodwaters that swept away one woman, whose body was recovered Saturday.

Isaias snapped trees and knocked out power as it blew through the Bahamas on Saturday and churned toward the Florida coast.

As the storm moves now toward the southeast coast of Florida, a tropical storm warning is in effect from Hallandale Beach, Florida, to South Santee River, South Carolina, and for Florida's Lake Okeechobee. A storm surge watch is in effect for Jupiter Inlet to Ponte Vedra Beach, and from Edisto Beach, South Carolina, to Cape Fear, North Carolina.

Coronavirus cases have surged in Florida in recent weeks, and the added menace of a storm ratcheted up the anxiety. State-run virus testing sites are closing in areas where the storm might hit because the sites are outdoor tents, which could topple in high winds.

Meanwhile, officials in the Bahamas opened shelters for people in Abaco island to help those who have been living in temporary structures since Dorian devastated the area, killing at least 70 people.

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