A visit by South African parliament members to Samaria is making waves and creating controversy in a country considered one of the most hostile to Israel worldwide. The Daily Maverick, one of South Africa's leading media outlets, published an antisemitic-style cartoon by cartoonist Jonathan Shapiro (Zapiro) in response to the visit. The cartoon depicts delegation members returning from a "fact-finding mission" with their eyes covered by Israeli flags, their feet dipped in blood, while declaring they "saw no evidence of apartheid."

Last week, a delegation of South African parliament members – from both coalition and opposition parties – visited Samaria as guests of Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan. The 15-member delegation included Parliament Member Ashley Sauls, chairman of the Patriotic Alliance party, which is part of the coalition, Steven Swarts, Parliament Member and chairman of the Christian Democrats party, and additional parliament members. The delegation's visit is considered unprecedented because South Africa is regarded as one of the most hostile countries toward Israel and even led the case against Israel at The Hague.

Dagan and the South African guests visited Israeli communities, and after meeting with Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan and receiving a briefing from him at the "Donald Trump Lookout" at the Gutnik Center on the State Balcony in Peduel, they expressed for the first time from elected officials in a country considered hostile to Israel, open and official support for Israel and sovereignty in Judea and Samaria. They voiced sharp criticism against the delegitimization of Israel in their country. Ashley Sauls, chairman of the Patriotic Alliance party, noted during the visit, "When there is sovereignty, there will be hope for coexistence." Parliament Member Steven Swarts said, "It's important to have sovereignty here."

Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, said in response to the cartoon publication, "The integrity of these brave people will triumph over antisemitism and hypocrisy. Some choose to strengthen the forces of life, and some choose to strengthen Hamas. This ugly cartoon is a transparent attempt to intimidate those who dare to think differently. We will not be deterred – we will continue to expose the truth. We will build Samaria, promote sovereignty in Judea and Samaria for Israel's security and historical justice. We will continue to host delegations from around the world, and we will continue to build partnerships together, because the truth and reality are stronger than everything."

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In a social media exchange on X (formerly Twitter), South African musician @TheKiffness and pro-Palestinian account @Africa4Pal engaged in a heated debate over the events of October 7, 2023, with the former correcting his rival on inaccuracies. The exchange which occurred on the one-year anniversary of the horrific Hamas atrocities.

Scott, a South African musician, producer, and internet personality, has recently become a household name among millions around the world when he created a remix of former President Donald Trump's comment during a televised debate with Vice President Kamala Harris. Scott, known for his "cast remixes," took Trump's own words, in which he accused immigrants in Springfield, Ohio of eating the pets of local residents. The song "Eating the Cats" became viral overnight.

The spat began when @Africa4Pal showed tweets posted by Kiffness in which he made sure to show the Israeli version of events, including one replying to South African President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, in which the artist said the following: "Today marks one year since Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel. They murdered over 1180 Israelis and kidnapped 251 people. If you're going to side with Palestine, that is your prerogative, but at least get the facts straight. You are an embarrassment to South Africans who love the truth. Your are not my president."

I believe:

1. Israel's right to exist & to defend itself.
2. Hamas using civilian infrastructure like schools & hospitals as military bases is shameful and cowardly.
3. Civilian death in war is tragic, no matter the nationality of the person.

— The Kiffness (@TheKiffness) October 7, 2024

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BrCvZmSnKA

After @TheKiffness was attacked as being pro-Israel and "casually overlooking the nuance of the region's troubles" and saying that "Atrocity blame can be equally allocated," he shot back, writing: "We're not talking about nuances here, we're talking about what happened on October 7, 2023." He went on to and framed the discussion by presenting a binary choice regarding the events of October 7, asking whether it marked "the start of an onslaught against the Palestinian people" or "the day that Hamas launched an attack on Israel."

The exchange quickly devolved into accusations of bullying and ad hominem attacks, with @TheKiffness claiming to be the target of personal attacks rather than substantive engagement with his arguments. The introduction of a third user, Yair Katz (@YairKatz), further intensified the debate by praising @TheKiffness for "standing up for the truth" and accusing @Africa4Pal of supporting Hamas and Hezbollah.

In another response to an accusation of being biased in favor of Israel, @theKiffness wrote, "I believe: 1. Israel's right to exist & to defend itself. 2. Hamas using civilian infrastructure like schools & hospitals as military bases is shameful and cowardly. 3. Civilian death in war is tragic, no matter the nationality of the person."

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Spain announced Thursday it would join the lawsuit against Israel at the International Court of Justice in the Hague, becoming the first European nation to officially back the case.

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said his country would officially add itself to the list of petitioners in the case that alleges genocide in the Gaza Strip.

The lawsuit – initially filed by South Africa – has received backing from countries such as Chile, Mexico, and Turkey.

The move continues Spain's recent hardline stance toward Israel under the governance of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. In late may, Spain – as well as Ireland and Norway – recognized a Palestinian state, although ironically, its diplomats have refused to work from Ramallah due to concerns over lifestyle and safety.

Analysts view the decision as driven by Sánchez's need to maintain his minority government's alliance with the far-left Unidas Podemos party, which holds extremely critical views of Israel.

"Sánchez is taking an extremely hardline position toward Israel as part of his political survival efforts due to his dependence on Unidas Podemos," Henrique Zimmerman, an international affairs analyst at Reichman University, said.

Zimmerman noted that Unidas Podemos leader and Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Díaz is a proponent of the anti-Israel boycott movement BDS, advocating for cutting all ties with the Jewish state.

While largely symbolic given the ICC's limited jurisdiction over non-member states like Israel, the lawsuit process could take years to wind through the judicial system in The Hague.

Israel rejects the "genocide" allegations, asserting its military actions in Gaza are defensive measures against Hamas and other terror groups threatening Israeli civilians.

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The parliament of South Africa voted Wednesday to downgrade ties with Israel in what is a culmination of many years of rockey relations with the Jewish state.

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The measure was backed by 208 lawmakers, while 94 opposed it. The move will see Israel's Embassy in the capital Pretoria downgraded to a liaison office. The measure was introduced by the National Freedom Party, which has two members in parliament, to protest what it considers to be a policy of apartheid and discriminatory practices against Palestinians.

"This is a moment [Mandela] would be proud of. He always said our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of Palestinians," the left-wing party said in a statement Wednesday. "The state of Israel was built through the displacement, murder, and maiming of Palestinians. And to maintain their grip on power, they have instituted apartheid to control and manage Palestinians," read the statement, which continued: "As South Africans, we refuse to stand by while apartheid is being perpetrated again."

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Israel is headed toward an outbreak of coronavirus the scope of which will be larger than any the country has seen thus far, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Tuesday in an interview with Israel Radio.

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Bennett did not rule out the possibility of a lockdown as a possible way of containing the spread.

Bennett said that Israel had "an advantage over the rest of the world," in that Israel is "moments before the wave, which allows us an edge in acquiring drugs."

When asked if the government should encourage fines for people who opt out of the COVID vaccine, Bennett answered, "I don't believe in fines. Later on today, we will agree on the regulations for quarantine. At the moment, the line presented to me is that vaccinated individuals can move around freely, even if they might be exposed to someone with one variant or another.

"Therefore, I recommend that anyone who wants to continue their ordinary routines come and get vaccinated. We're about to see massive transmission, more than anything we've known. The storm is looming. We can provide everyone with protective gear," Bennett said.

Bennett said that his goal was to avoid lockdowns insofar as was possible. "During the Delta wave, we were criticized, but I stood up to the pressure. I'm not afraid to do what is right, but I don't know what the day will bring. We'll do what's right. I don't want to make declarations."

The prime minister was interviewed as the number of new coronavirus cases confirmed in Israel each day hit a three-month high of nearly 3,000. In the past 24 hours, 2.35% of COVID tests processed came back positive for a total of 2,952 new cases, the Health Ministry reported Tuesday morning. This is the highest number of new cases per day since Oct. 4.

As of Tuesday morning, there were 15,487 active or symptomatic cases. The number of COVID patients listed in serious condition held steady at 85, of whom 46 were in critical condition. A total of 38 hospitalized COVID patients were on ventilators, and 18 were attached to ECMO machines.

However, the reproduction rate jumped past 1.47, the highest R number in seven months, the ministry reported.

Monday saw the rate of vaccinations slow, with 10,340 people receiving the first dose of the vaccine, 7,086 receiving a second dose, and 8,007 rolling up their sleeves for a booster shot. The campaign to vaccinate the country's children still hasn't taken off. Only 4.59% of children ages five to 11 have been vaccinated. Among pre-teens and teens ages 12-15 58.9% have been vaccinated, and 66.1% of teens ages 16-19 have been vaccinated. More than two-thirds (68.3%) of young adults ages 20-29 have been vaccinated.

Since the pandemic reached Israel in early 2020, 8,242 Israelis have died of COVID-19.

Meanwhile, research by South African scientists suggests that Omicron infection enhances neutralizing immunity against the Delta variant of the coronavirus.

The study, which has not been peer-reviewed, found that people who were infected with Omicron, especially those who were vaccinated, developed enhanced immunity to the Delta variant.

The analysis enrolled 33 vaccinated and unvaccinated people who were infected with the Omicron variant in South Africa.

While the authors found that the neutralization of Omicron increased 14-fold over 14 days after the enrollment, they also found that there was a 4.4 fold increase of Delta virus neutralization.

"The increase in Delta variant neutralization in individuals infected with Omicron may result in decreased ability of Delta to re-infect those individuals," the scientists said.

Alex Sigal, a professor at the Africa Health Research Institute in South Africa, said on Twitter on Monday that if Omicron was less pathogenic as it looked from the South African experience, "this will help push Delta out."

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The coronavirus reproduction rate continued to rise on Wednesday and currently stands at 1.09, according to Health Ministry data published on Thursday morning. Of the 103,051 Israelis screened for the virus in the past 24 hours, 651 (0.69%) tested positive.

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There are 5,971 active cases in the country – the lowest it has been since July 24th – with 134 patients hospitalized. Of those, 96 are in serious condition.

Israel has reported 1,348,486 COVID cases since the outbreak of the pandemic last year, including 8,210 deaths. Thus far, 4,112,353 Israelis over the age of 16 have been fully inoculated, 5,786,594 received two shots, and 6,389,878 got one jab.

Also on Thursday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz met with health officials to discuss the Omicron situation in the country. It was decided, among other things, to increase enforcement of the "green pass" vaccination certificates with immediate fines issued against violators, with efforts to be led by the Public Security Ministry and the Israel Police.

Bennett also instructed officials to examine options for imposing restrictions on unvaccinated Israelis. As for the two-week travel ban that the government imposed on foreigners amid efforts to curb the spread of Omicron in the country, officials are scheduled to meet again later on Thursday.

In related news, Health Ministry officials mandated on Wednesday a 14-day self-isolation period for returnees from abroad that test positive for Omicron, in contrast to the 10-day obligatory quarantine that was practiced until now with other strains.

"The change is due to the suspicion that verified Omicron cases may be contagious for a longer than observed cases of other variants," the ministry explained.

Israel currently has 21 verified Omicron cases, 16 of whom are returnees from South Africa, Britain, France, or the United Arab Emirates. The other five confirmed cases came into contact with verified individuals who returned from South Africa or the United States.

Of the 21 individuals, eight have either not been inoculated at all, recovered from COVID over six months ago, or received the first or second vaccine shots over half a year ago. The other 13 are fully inoculated, meaning they received their booster shots. Officials suspect another 21 Omicron cases. The individuals are currently awaiting their test results.

Also on Wednesday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced tighter restrictions to stem the spread of Omicron in the country, urging people to again work from home and mandating COVID vaccination passes for entrance into nightclubs and large events.

"It has become increasingly clear that Omicron is growing much faster than the previous Delta variant and is spreading rapidly all around the world," Johnson said in a press conference. "Most worryingly, there is evidence that the doubling time of Omicron could currently be between two and three days."

According to Johnson, 568 Omicron cases have been confirmed so far across the country, and "the true number is certain to be much higher."

He said while there was not yet comprehensive data on how dangerous Omicron is, rising hospitalization rates in South Africa, where the variant was first detected, suggested it has the potential to cause harm.

Britain reported 51,342 new COVID cases on Wednesday, with 161 more people dying. Overall the country has seen over 146,000 deaths since the outbreak of the pandemic, the second-worst death toll in Europe after Russia.

The announcement came as Johnson and his government faced increasing pressure to explain reports that Downing Street staff enjoyed a Christmas party that breached the country's coronavirus rules last winter when coronavirus cases soared and people were banned from holding most social gatherings. Johnson on Wednesday ordered an inquiry and said he was "furious" about the situation.

The revelations have angered many in Britain, with critics saying they heavily undermine the authority of Johnson's Conservative government in imposing virus restrictions.

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In the United States, the number of Americans fully vaccinated against COVID reached 200 million on Wednesday amid a dispiriting holiday-season spike in cases and hospitalizations that hit even the most highly inoculated areas in the country.

New cases climbed from an average of nearly 95,000 a day on Nov. 22 to almost 119,000 a day this week, and hospitalizations are up 25% from a month ago. The increases are due almost entirely to the Delta variant, though Omicron has been detected in about 20 states and is sure to spread even more.

Deaths are running close to 1,600 a day on average, back up to where they were in October. And the overall US death toll less than two years into the crisis could hit another heartbreaking milestone, 800,000, in a matter of days.

The cold weather, Thanksgiving gatherings, and a big rebound in holiday travel are all believed to be playing a role, along with public weariness with pandemic restrictions.

Demand for the vaccine – with the recent approval of boosters for all adults and shots for elementary school children – has been high amid the surge and the emergence of Omicron, whose dangers are still not fully understood. On Wednesday, Pfizer said that the initial two shots of its vaccine appear significantly less effective against Omicron but that a booster dose may offer important protection.

Meanwhile, South Africa reported nearly 20,000 cases on Wednesday, a record since the new strain was identified, and 36 COVID-related deaths.

It was not immediately clear how many of the infections were caused by Omicron, given only a fraction of samples are sequenced, but experts believe it is driving South Africa's fourth wave of infections.

The statistics from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases brought the confirmed number of cases in the country to 3.071 million, with more than 90,000 COVID deaths since the pandemic started.

Early evidence suggests Omicron is more transmissible than any previous variant, but that symptoms may be less severe, with lower levels of hospitalization, especially in vaccinated patients.

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Lawmakers criticized Prime Minister Naftali Bennett Wednesday after announcement that his wife and children were going on vacation overseas, despite the premier's recent calls on Israelis to refrain from necessary travel abroad.

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The family's original destination was the island of Mauritius, which has since been added to the government's no-fly list along with 49 other African countries, prompting them to change their vacation plans.

"After the decision of the coronavirus cabinet to leave the skies open, the destination of the vacation changed in accordance with the updated guidelines. The Bennett family will, of course, follow all the guidelines and rules that apply to Israeli citizens," the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement but did not specify to where exactly the family would be traveling.

During a press conference on Friday, Bennett urged Israelis not to travel abroad due to the new Omicron coronavirus variant.

"If someone asked me, at the moment I wouldn't recommend flying abroad amid a level of uncertainty like this," he said. "That's the truth."

In a Twitter post, Likud MK Israel Katz called the move "a political lie turned normal."

Bennett responded in a Facebook post on Wednesday evening, saying, "The Bennett family is subject to the same rules that apply to all Israeli citizens. I understand the criticism, however, we have learned more about the variant since Friday."

Also on Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the first Omicron case in the United States.

"This is the first confirmed case of COVID-19 caused by the Omicron variant detected in the United States," Dr. Anthony Fauci, the president's chief medical adviser, told reporters at a White House briefing. "As all of you know, of course, we've been discussing this, we knew that it was just a matter of time."

According to Fauci, the infected person returned from South Africa nine days earlier and tested positive for COVID on Monday.

The traveler was vaccinated with two vaccine doses and was experiencing "mild symptoms that are improving," the CDC said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the coronavirus infection rate remained low in Israel and currently stands at 0.58%, according to Health Ministry data published on Thursday morning. Of the 98,172 Israelis screened in the past 24 hours, 526 tested positive.

There are 5,584 active cases in the country with 151 patients hospitalized. Of those, 116 are in serious condition.
Israel has reported 1,344,472 cases since the outbreak of the pandemic last year, including 8,199 deaths.

Thus far, 4,086,805 Israelis over the age of 16 have gotten fully vaccinated, 5,778,068 received the second jab and 6,345,114 got their first doses.

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However, while the coronavirus seems to be under control in Israel, South Africa, where Omicron was first detected, reports a much different situation.

Preliminary data from health officials showed that the number of new cases almost doubled every day in the last few days. Although it is not yet clear whether the new strain is responsible for the alarming increase, experts estimate that two-thirds of new cases are indeed Omicron.

Another troubling development is the increase in infection rate among children. According to data from the South African Health Ministry, 10% of hospitalized are children under the age of two, a number much higher compared to other parts of the world.

"Young children appear to be at a greater risk due to the new variant," a South African Health Ministry official said. Until now, the majority of those hospitalized were adults. But during the [morbidity] outbreak in Tswana, we see that the largest age group are children under the age of two.

Tswana, near Johanessburg, has turned into a hot stop of Omicron infections seemingly due to a low number of vaccinated residents.

i24NEWS contributed to this report. 

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Knesset member Gilad Kariv, who chaired the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee meeting Sunday, expressed concern with regard to the Health Ministry's earlier approval of digital tracking of confirmed coronavirus carriers by the Israel Security Agency, commonly known as Shin Bet.

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The ministry's Director of Public Health Services Dr. Sharon Elroi Preiss, who was present at the meeting, explained the move was necessary because of the emergence of the new Omicron variant.

It helps "track the random people infected carriers come into contact with, the ones they cannot even tell about, such as travelers on the same bus," she said, adding that the strain was cause for alarm as it had 15 abnormal mutations.

"It was identified a few days ago in southern Africa and Hong Kong, and most likely developed in October. We see how fast it spreads and infects. We do not yet know whether it significantly impacts mortality, but we do see an increase in the death rate in southern Africa," she said.

The use of Shin Bet technology to track civilians who came into contact with confirmed COVID carriers was controversial from the start. It was instated in March 2020 as part of the emergency regulations imposed in the effort to curb the pandemic.

So far one person in Israel, a vaccinated woman returning from Malawi, has been found to carry the Omicron strain. Seven more people are suspected of being infected with it. They are currently awaiting PCR test results. Of the seven, three have been fully vaccinated and four have either recovered from COVID in the past six months or gotten innoculated with the second dose over six months ago. Four have recently returned from abroad.

On Saturday, the government issued a travel ban on foreigners for two weeks. It also added 50 countries, all in Africa, onto its no-fly list.

Speaking at a government meeting on Sunday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said the measures were necessary because "the strain is spreading worldwide and countries are imposing restrictions. At the Coronavirus Cabinet meeting, we took strict measures in order to protect Israel … We will adjust measures as we find out more [about Omicron]."

Bennett called on the public to "exhibit patience. I understand the fatigue of living life in the shadow of the coronavirus. It is not easy for anyone, but this is reality."

Coronavirus Comission Salman Zarka said on Sunday with regard to Omicron, "Since we only have limited data on the new variant so far, it is necessary to increase restrictions, and I think the steps that have been taken [by the government] are reasonable. This new variant is already in the country and what we're trying to do now is keep additional cases out, as far as possible. I think we can say at this point that we're in control of the situation."

Also on Sunday, the ministry reported that of the 35,124 Israelis it screened for the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, 169 tested positive. The reproduction rate decreased from 1.09 in the last few days to 1.05.

There are currently 7,406 active cases in the country, with 168 patients hospitalized. Of those, 128 are in serious condition.

Israel has reported 1,342,022 cases since the outbreak of the pandemic, including 8,184 deaths.

Thus far, 4,069,085 Israelis over the age of 16 have been fully vaccinated, 5,772,575 received two shots, and 6,306,501 got their third jabs. Over 32,000 children have gotten inoculated with the first dose since the launch of the kids' vaccination campaign last Tuesday, of the 1.2 million children eligible.

Health funds reported that the number of scheduled vaccination appointments increased ever since news of the Omicron variant broke.

Nevertheless, "we wish the rate was even higher. This variant proves to us all that the coronavirus is staying with us and that we should vaccinate the children. We recommend getting inoculated because the alternative is getting infected with the coronavirus," Ruth Baruch, who overlooks the Clalit health fund's vaccination campaign, said.

Over the weekend, the IDF Home Front Command, which has been assisting pandemic efforts, sent hundreds of personnel to the homes of Israelis who returned from Africa and are currently in self-isolation, delivering PCR test kits and ensuring quarantine measures are being followed.

It also doubled the staff responsible for processing arrivals from abroad and getting them to the hotels to quarantine. It also set up a special team responsible for monitoring the variant and preventing its spread in the country.

"We understand that there's a good chance that the new variant has already made its way to Israel, and we do everything to disrupt the infection chain. Fortunately, the number of new cases is low at the moment and we have enough manpower. We will continue to do everything needed to overcome this variant," Brig. Gen. Relli Margalit, who is in charge of a Home Front Command's Alon task force, said.

Omicron popped up in more European countries over the weekend, just days after being identified in South Africa, leaving governments around the world scrambling to stop the spread. 

Britain on Saturday tightened its rules on mask-wearing and testing of international arrivals after finding two cases. Prime Minister Boris Johnson told a news conference it was necessary to take "targeted and precautionary measures, Right now this is the responsible course of action to slow down the seeding and the spread of this new variant and to maximize our defenses."

New cases were also confirmed in Germany and Italy and Belgium. 

In the United States, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious diseases expert, said he would not be surprised if the new variant was already in the country, too. 

"We have not detected it yet, but when you have a virus that is showing this degree of transmissibility ... it almost invariably is ultimately going to go essentially all over," he said on NBC.

Nearly two years since the start of the pandemic that has claimed more than 5 million lives around the world, countries are on high alert. Many have slapped restrictions on various southern African countries over the past couple of days, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, the European Union, Iran, Japan, New Zealand, Thailand, and the US.

The variant's swift spread among young people in South Africa has alarmed health professionals even though there was no immediate indication whether it causes more severe disease.

A number of pharmaceutical firms, including AstraZeneca, Moderna, Novavax, and Pfizer, said they have plans in place to adapt their vaccines in light of the emergence of Omicron. Pfizer and its partner BioNTech said they expect to be able to tweak their vaccine in around 100 days.

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In related news, an anti-COVID pill developed by Merck drug manufacturer has proved effective in treating the disease, the US Food and Drug Administration said on Friday in a much-awaited preliminary report.

But the report, from an FDA advisory panel, cautioned that pregnant women should not use the drug, known as molnupiravir, saying the potential benefits do not outweigh the risks for those patients.

An FDA experts panel is scheduled to convene on Tuesday to consider whether to authorize emergency use of molnupiravir.

Approval, analysts say, would represent a major step forward in the battle against the global pandemic, handing healthcare professionals a powerful new tool to help those infected.

Merck released the full results of the drug's clinical trial on Friday, which found the pill would reduce by 30% the rate of hospitalizations and deaths in high-risk coronavirus patients who took it soon after infection.

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Israel's infection rate stands at 7.9%, according to Health Ministry data released Thursday. The country broke its previous record for the highest number of daily infections as 11,187 of the 148,924 people who tested for the virus the previous day were found to have COVID-19.

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Israel has 90,058 active cases of the virus. There are 666 people in serious condition, 149 of whom are on ventilators.

On the inoculation front, over 5,995,700 Israelis have received at least one dose of the vaccine, over 5,494,200 have received two doses, and over 2,350,440 have received three doses.

While much has been said about the delta variant, a recently discovered variant identified in nine countries may prove to be even more infectious and vaccine-resistant.

According to a recent South African study, which has yet to be peer-reviewed, the variant, known as C.1.2., has an unusually high mutation rate and may result in more severe morbidity than other variants.

Originally identified in South Africa, the variant has also been seen in Botswana, China, Congo, Britain, Mauritius, New Zealand, Portugal, and Switzerland.

Infectious disease expert Richard Lessells, one of the researchers who contributed to the study, said the discovery of the C.1.2. variant was an indication "the pandemic is far from over."

Meanwhile, in a show of appreciation to those directly involved in the ongoing war on the pandemic, the Israeli government agreed to allot 55 million shekels (around $17.2 million) in grants toward medical workers and healthcare system employees directly involved in the fight against the coronavirus. Each recipient will receive a 1,000-shekel debit card to be used for entertainment, business, and recreation purposes inside Israel.

In a statement, Bennett said the grant "expresses the gratitude of the citizens of Israel for the medical teams in Israel. The medical teams are fighting at the forefront of the campaign against the coronavirus and have been doing holy work from the moment the crisis started. From the doctors and nurses to employees of the various healthcare providers, all of them have been working together around the clock to protect the health of the citizens of Israel. On behalf of the government and citizens of Israel, I would like to express our appreciation and gratitude to the teams. We will continue to fight the coronavirus and together we will win."

The move comes as medical workers at government-owned hospitals across the country protest a lack of funding during the pandemic. As part of these efforts, medical staff in operating rooms across the country were set to go on strike for two hours Monday.

With Israeli children heading back to school Wednesday, Barzilay Medical Center Director and former Health Ministry Director-General Hezi Levy said there were concerns infections would spike over the coming month.

"The return to school and the holidays could raise the infection [rate] in Israel. There won't be mass infections, but there could be an increase in morbidity. Of course, there is no need for a lockdown, but rather more caution from the public, i.e., adhering to Health Ministry restrictions on gatherings of over 50 people in closed spaces, mask-wearing, social distancing, quarantine for those exposed [to a confirmed coronavirus carrier], as well as vaccination. The state and the entire public need to boost vaccination as much as possible. That is the main thing that can help right now.

Noting there was an expectation infections would rise, Levy said: "If the public behaves according to the guidelines, then despite the return to school and the holidays, we won't see a very large outbreak."

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The death toll climbed to 72 from rioting in South Africa on Tuesday, with many people trampled to death during looting at stores, as police and the military fired stun grenades and rubber bullets to try to halt the unrest set off by the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma.

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More than 1,200 people have been arrested in the lawlessness that has raged in poor areas of two provinces, where a community radio station was ransacked and forced off the air Tuesday and some COVID-19 vaccination centers were closed, disrupting urgently needed inoculations.

Many of the deaths in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provinces occurred in chaotic stampedes as thousands of people stole food, electric appliances, liquor and clothing from stores, police Maj. Gen. Mathapelo Peters said in a statement Tuesday night.

In addition to the people crushed, he said police were investigating deaths caused by explosions when people tried to break into ATM machines, as well as other fatalities caused by shootings.

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