From yesterday through this morning, approximately 60-70 millimeters (2.4-2.8 inches) have fallen in the Zikhron Yaakov, Haifa, and Carmel region. Zikhron Yaakov leads the national rainfall table with 77 millimeters (3 inches) so far. Ein Carmel has recorded 68 millimeters (2.7 inches) and Haifa 60 millimeters (2.4 inches). In Zikhron Yaakov, a shuttle carrying children became stuck in an underpass. All were rescued without injury.

During the night, the rains advanced to central Israel and concentrated in Gush Dan (the greater Tel Aviv metropolitan area). About 35-40 millimeters (1.4-1.6 inches) have fallen in Tel Aviv so far, and about 15 millimeters (0.6 inches) in Ashdod. Jerusalem has recorded 10.8 millimeters (0.4 inches), Safed 15.3 millimeters (0.6 inches), Beersheba 3.6 millimeters (0.1 inches), and Sodom 0 millimeters.

Rain will continue today, intensifying in the afternoon and especially on Thursday, with flooding forecast.

In the southern Negev, there may be local rain. There is concern about flash floods in the wadis of the Judea Desert, the Dead Sea, and northern Arava. There is serious concern about flooding along the coastal plain and in the Shfela. Strong winds will blow. Temperatures will be lower than normal for the season. Snow will fall on the summit of Mount Hermon.

Stay nourished, seal the house, and visit the elderly: Health Ministry instructions

The Health Ministry has published preparedness instructions for the health system for the stormy weather. Hospitals and health funds have been instructed to prepare in order to continue providing medical services as required. Additionally, the ministry is calling on elderly populations, as well as parents of infants and young children, to prepare accordingly and take several important actions to avoid health damage.

• While staying at home: Maintain activity and movement to increase blood flow and body heat.
• Heating: Heat the home at a constant temperature of approximately 24 degrees Celsius (75 degrees Fahrenheit), not lower than 21 degrees Celsius (70 degrees Fahrenheit), and ensure air humidity in the room to avoid dry air.
• Properly seal home openings (windows, doors, etc.).
• Drinking: In sufficient quantity (8-10 glasses of beverages per day, unless there is an explicit medical restriction). Avoid excessive consumption of caffeine and alcohol.
• Meals: Maintain relatively light meals at frequent intervals (5-6 per day) and avoid heavy meals. Hot beverages and food help maintain body heat.

Cases in which to consult with the treating physician: Taking medications that may increase sensitivity to cold (medications that affect alertness such as sleeping pills, antidepressants, certain pain medications, etc.), as well as health conditions that may increase risk from cold (heart disease where cold creates overload on heart function, lung disease, in people with cognitive decline/dementia who have difficulty caring for themselves, etc.).

Elderly people living alone: Maintain contact and ensure home visits by family members, friends, neighbors, or volunteers - at least once a day. To identify hypothermia in an elderly person, check if the home is cold and the elderly person is less active than usual.

It should be noted that in the initial stages of hypothermia - there may be difficulty identifying the problem: a person suffering from cold may not shiver and may not complain of feeling cold, and temperature measurement with a home thermometer may not identify the problem - since it is designed to measure fever.

If there is suspicion of hypothermia, based on cold skin contact, change in skin color, decreased alertness, confused state, changes in breathing, etc. - medical help should be summoned immediately.

The post Coastal Israel braces for flooding as Storm Byron breaks rainfall records appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Professionals from hospitals, community clinics, academia, and the Health Ministry attended the discussion, presenting a comprehensive review of flu infection data. After examining the latest intelligence, the team of experts recommended issuing a call for the entire population to vaccinate against the virus.

The experts emphasized that while the vaccine does not guarantee total immunity against infection, it is a significant factor in mitigating the severity of the disease and dramatically reducing the risk of severe illness and mortality.

Doctors on the team recommended that individuals with symptoms remain at home until recovery to avoid exposing others to the illness. They also called on parents to avoid sending sick children to schools and kindergartens to prevent infecting other children.

The Health Ministry emphasized that the vaccine is safe, recommended for ages six months and up, and constitutes the most effective protection for the public. The vaccine is available free of charge at the HMOs.

The ministry stated that professional bodies within the Health Ministry would continue to discuss strategies to increase flu vaccination rates as well as other issues raised during the discussion.

The post Flu scare prompts unusual warning to Israelis appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

In a statement, the Red Cross said it "assisted this evening, at the request of and with the agreement of both parties, in the transfer of the remains of three bodies to the Israeli authorities."

On Thursday, Israel identified the deceased hostages Amiram Cooper and Sahar Baruch, who had been returned by Hamas.

Cooper was the last remaining hostage from Kibbutz Nir Oz held in Gaza, while Baruch was kidnapped alive from Kibbutz Be'eri and later murdered.

The post Remains delivered to Israel not related to hostages appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

According to her, Rom was held alone for two years, and during part of that time was held with the bodies of dead hostages beside him. Tami said her son reported to former Israeli military commander Gal Hirsch upon his return about the location of the bodies.

Tami said her son was not held in tunnels and that he was force-fed before his release and now suffers from blood sugar fluctuations.

According to her, during the first four weeks, Rom was held in a bad place. "He freed himself from the handcuffs, couldn't light the gas, so he set clothes on fire and caused a fire, and then many Gazans arrived, and he feared lynching."

"He was held in a room one meter by one meter (3.3 feet by 3.3 feet). The smoke came out of the room, and the Gazan mob began pounding on the windows. When Rom didn't answer, they started pounding on the door, and Rom was in a state of hysterical stress. 'What do I do now – if they discover I'm here, I'll die in a lynching.' What went through his head was the Ramallah lynching of the terrorist with the bloodied hands. He said, 'I'm not ending like that' – he went under a blanket, put the blanket over himself, and they broke the windows, something like 40 people, and they saw the handcuffs and understood there's a prisoner captive here."

She explained how he escaped from the trouble, saying that the person who captured him would come once a day, at night, to bring him food and take him to the bathroom, which happened at noon. "Rom said 'Shema Yisrael' and prayed to God and told him 'I can't end like this, you didn't take me out of there to end in a lynching, I'm not going like this,' and then he heard a bunch of keys at the door. His captor suddenly returned and didn't get angry at him and didn't give him punishment – he removed everyone from there and moved him to a slightly better place."

"I'm Jewish, I'm Jewish!"

According to her son's testimony, which she revealed, Tami said Rom's captors abused him psychologically, told him that Iran bombed Israel, that his parents weren't at the protests in the square, and chose to show him specifically only the Kaplan protests, while lying to him that his parents forgot about him.

Not only that, his mother said his captors tried to convince him to fast during Ramadan or read chapters from the Quran and convert to Islam, in exchange for food and improved conditions, but he refused. As evidence of the mental crisis he experienced as a result of the psychological manipulations his captors operated on him, the mother recounts, "And now when he returned, he keeps saying all the time 'I'm Jewish.'"

"I didn't understand why he keeps saying 'I'm Jewish,' 'I'm a strong Jew.' It was so important to him to preserve his Jewish identity because they asked him to convert to Islam and tempted him, if you fast in Ramadan we'll give you food, soap, all kinds of things that for us are banal, but Rom didn't break, and however he came he put on tefillin, we brought him the tefillin to the hospital and he put them on."

"Everyone talks to him and wants to give to him and make him happy, and I asked him, 'Rom what do you need' and he tells me 'Mom, I don't need anything, why would they do this for me,' he doesn't understand the magnitude of the event and how much of a hero he is and how many people want to give to him, he only wants to stand at the window and look at the sky, the air does him good."

She also said that between April and July, between the two videos of him that were distributed to the media, his captors increased the abuse of him. "They would come in several times a day and give him beatings, it's not pleasant for me to say, but he absorbed it. He told me 'Mom, I knew it would pass. I said to myself that it's only a period, and it will pass, it will end, it will end,' and that's how he got through it."

The post Rom Braslavski: In exchange for food, I was told to convert to Islam appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Netanyahu motioned to have his court testimony in his corruption trial end early on Wednesday, saying his bronchitis "refuses to fade." "If Netanyahu has a cold that refuses to fade as he claimed on Wednesday in court, why did he visit former captives with a weakened immune system on Tuesday and endanger them?", Professor Hagai Levine, head of the medical division for the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

"If Netanyahu has a cold that refuses to fade as he claimed on Wednesday in court, why did he visit former captives with a weakened immune system on Tuesday and endanger them?" tweeted Professor Hagai Levin, head of the medical division for the Hostages and Missing Families Forum and until recently the head of the Israeli Association of Public Health Physicians.

Beilinson Hospital, where Netanyahu visited Guy Gilboa-Dala a day after his release from Hamas captivity on Monday, was presumably not aware of the prime minister's condition or that he was feeling unwell.

It should be mentioned that the updated protocol for treating the former hostages, prepared by the Ministry of Health, notes that "In light of winter illness, the proximate treating teams will be inoculated with the influenza and coronavirus vaccines." It was further stressed that "In light of concern that the immune status of the former captives is compromised due to continuous starvation and poor sanitation conditions, the introduction of sick individuals with contagious diseases into the facility must be prevented" – a measure that was most likely not enforced during the prime minister's visit.

A supplementary directive from the Ministry of Health is to provide instruction to anyone not vaccinated who comes into contact with the former captives, and to guide them on the use of a mask if needed, as well as to ensure proper hand hygiene.

The post Did Netanyahu medical condition put hostages' health at risk? appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Health funds maintain fierce competition among themselves for marketing in the ultra-Orthodox sector. This is a population that can be easily moved between insurances in a "clan-like" manner, thereby increasing the number of insured members – additionally, this is a population with significant natural growth.

The post Maccabi's non-kosher sandwich ad angers ultra-Orthodox appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

"These images are the result of extreme and prolonged suffering," the Health Ministry stated Tuesday in its correspondence to the Red Cross regarding the mental and physical condition of the hostages, following the disturbing documentation of Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski that was released about a week ago.

Video: Proof of life of hostage Rom Braslavski

The report summarizes the physical and psychological damage experienced by 12 returnees who gave their consent to participate in data collection. Additionally, the report exposes the physical abuse suffered by those kidnapped to Gaza since October 7 and the pattern of physical and psychological abuse during prolonged detention under Hamas and other terror organizations.

The report states that viewing the videos in which hostages Rom Braslavski and Evyatar David were filmed reflects the ongoing distress and abuse described in the report, including extreme starvation, lack of adequate medical care, and persistent manipulative abuse and mistreatment.

In these videos and compared to photographs from earlier dates, it is evident that both hostages have lost significant body weight. The report notes that in cases of prolonged and significant starvation, the damage is not only weight loss but manifests in functional impairment of body systems.

Additionally, it is apparent that both hostages are in extreme psychological distress. Their voices, words, and behavior indicate they are in great despair. It is evident that both are exhausted and hopeless, projecting a sense of abandonment and deep despair. These images are the result of extreme and prolonged suffering. For these reasons, immediate international action must be taken to provide emergency medical assistance and bring the hostages to Israel for life-saving medical treatment.

Humiliation, physical and verbal assault

From the medical files and conversations with the doctors, it emerges that the hostages experienced a severe traumatic ordeal already during the kidnapping phase itself. They suffered severe violence during the kidnapping, including gunfire that left bullets and shrapnel in their bodies. Most were victims of violent attacks by local crowds on their way to Gaza, which included severe humiliation and verbal assault, direct physical assault, and assault with objects.

From the description of the captivity survivors' experiences emerges a harsh picture of lynching events that sometimes repeated several times throughout the day. Additionally, on the day of kidnapping and in the first days of captivity, many of the returnees were held with their hands tightly bound, until they lost sensation in their fingers while being significantly restricted in movement for long hours without attention to basic personal needs.

Some of the hostages reported witnessing the murder of family members and friends during the kidnapping, in addition to witnessing the widespread destruction and devastation in the kibbutzim and communities from which they came. These events intensified the trauma they experienced and in many cases caused severe uncertainty regarding the condition of family members and loved ones. This uncertainty accompanied and troubled them throughout their entire stay in captivity and sometimes served the terrorists against them.

Extended periods underground

The hostages were held in varying conditions, with most spending extended periods underground and shorter periods above ground. Several hostages were held in underground tunnels for long months and were allowed to emerge above ground for only a few days. When transfers occurred, they took place suddenly and particularly frighteningly with a sense of life-threatening danger. In some cases, the hostages were forced to walk long distances, sometimes many kilometers, at night, in complete darkness and/or blindfolded, without the ability to see their surroundings and movement routes.

These transfers were physically dangerous and caused significant psychological stress, as in many cases the hostages had to navigate through obstacles, narrow and dark passages, causing some to fall and get injured.

The living conditions they described are inhumane and constitute a flagrant violation of every international convention. Many of them stayed for extended or exclusive periods in underground tunnels, in extremely crowded conditions, in tiny spaces of about two square meters (21.5 square feet) at a height lower than a standing person (about 1.5 meters or 4.9 feet), where up to six people were crammed without the ability to move and without possibility of exit for long days.

The nutritional regime imposed on them constituted deliberate starvation and usually included only one meal containing pita or rice – nutrition extremely lacking in the three main food groups, minerals, and vitamins – and sometimes there were days without any meal at all. Most often the food was unfit for human consumption, moldy and containing worms and insects. The water supplied was contaminated, sometimes seawater or unfiltered sewage water, and the quantities were rationed and insufficient for daily consumption.

The poor conditions did not allow maintaining reasonable personal hygiene in the absence of access to toilets and running water. Showering was possible every several months, in cold water and with a shared towel. Clothing changes were possible rarely, if at all, while underwear changes occurred once every six months, without regard for women's needs. During stays in tunnels, a sewage pit was used that was dug by the hostages within the living space, and in cases where they were held above ground, there were usage restrictions and prohibitions such as bans on flushing.

The hostages were forced to sleep on the tunnel surface or hard floor, without a mattress or blanket among insects and pests. They described days and nights when they suffered from freezing cold or extreme heat for many weeks, depending on the location of captivity.

The post Hostages' sewage-ridden Gaza hell: Red Cross gets urgent report appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

The hearing, led by MK Elazar Stern, was prompted by what Stern described as "an unusual spike in suicides recently, particularly among soldiers returning from Gaza combat operations."

The session took on profound emotional weight when Neta, whose twin brother Staff Sergeant Assaf Dagan died by suicide, delivered tearful testimony about systemic failures she believes cost her sibling his life.

"I'm here to discuss those who never ask for help," Neta told the committee. "Assaf repeatedly requested meetings with mental health officers. Our mother contacted his commanders when she recognized post-traumatic symptoms. While they showed empathy, they lacked professional understanding – failing to recognize they faced a wounded soldier, psychologically injured."

The family's warnings escalated dramatically in Assaf's final month. "My mother explicitly warned a senior Air Force commander that Assaf would commit suicide," Neta revealed. "His commanders knew about his struggles, but military coordination broke down completely. His support network understood and reported concerns, yet the system failed him."

Her plea resonated throughout the chamber as she demanded institutional change. "I'm asking the system to actively identify those who don't seek help and dedicate every resource to treatment. Consciousness shifts and institutional recognition save lives. Suicide isn't predetermined fate – we can change outcomes. They served us, now we must serve them."

Lt. Col. Vadmani responded by acknowledging accessibility problems with existing support infrastructure. "Recent cases teach us that soldiers seeking treatment can't adequately reach our support centers," he admitted. Recognizing that upcoming holidays present heightened risks, military officials plan a comprehensive outreach campaign featuring anonymous contact options.

The IDF maintains these statistics require annual analysis rather than monthly scrutiny, despite the troubling recent sequence of soldier deaths. Military spokespeople have consistently declined media requests for interim data, citing policies restricting disclosure to year-end reports.

Brig. Gen. Dr. Carmel Kela, who heads the Medical Corps' Clinical Branch, outlined expanded therapeutic capabilities implemented during wartime operations. "Unique combat challenges prompted therapeutic expansion both before and during current operations, including new specialized centers and branches," she explained.

The military established round-the-clock support hotlines while expanding the Combat Response Unit serving reserve personnel between active deployments. "Our unit employs dozens of therapists, psychologists, social workers, and counselors providing psychiatric care, group therapy, and recognition process support," Kela detailed.

Treatment accessibility has improved significantly, with waiting periods reduced to one or two weeks. New resilience programs target regular service members experiencing post-traumatic symptoms, while permanent treatment centers received substantial expansion. Mental health officer deployment increased dramatically across all IDF units, with personnel entering combat zones including Gaza when necessary.

The testimony follows last week's suicide of reserve combat medic Roei Wasserstein, prompting immediate leadership response. Personnel Directorate head Maj. Gen. Dudu Bar Kalifa, coordinating with Defense Minister Israel Katz and Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, ordered creation of a specialized committee examining support systems for discharged soldiers and inactive reservists.

Wasserstein, 24, from Netanya, served over 300 reserve days with the 401st Armored Brigade's medical evacuation team, experiencing traumatic casualty recovery operations throughout Gaza combat zones before ending his life this week.

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Prof. Dicker developed these innovative criteria through collaboration with the European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO), with the new definition originally reported in Israel Hayom. Under EASO's revised diagnostic approach, individuals with BMI readings between 25–30 – traditionally categorized as overweight – receive an obesity diagnosis when significant abdominal fat accumulation is present. This novel measurement system divides waist circumference by height, with results exceeding 0.5 coupled with obesity-related conditions triggering the obesity classification.

The research team – comprising Prof. Dror Dicker from Sharon Hospital, Prof. Orna Reges from Ariel University, and Dr. Tomas Karpati from Holon Institute of Technology – examined comprehensive data from roughly 44,000 American adults participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 1999 and 2018.

Study results demonstrated that 18.8% of participants, formerly categorized as simply overweight using BMI standards, now qualify as People With Obesity (PWO) under the updated definition. Prevalent conditions within this newly identified group included hypertension (79.9%), arthritis (33.2%), diabetes (15.6%), and cardiovascular disease (10.5%).

The research's most significant discovery concerned mortality patterns. Death rates among the newly classified obesity group paralleled those of normal-weight individuals with existing medical conditions while exceeding rates for healthy normal-weight people. Furthermore, when compared to individuals maintaining overweight status under the revised criteria, the newly identified obesity group demonstrated elevated mortality risk.

These findings carry substantial implications for Israel's population. Presently, roughly 38% of women and 30% of men aged 20–64 fall into the overweight category. Applying the American study's proportions suggests nearly one-fifth might qualify as obese, potentially reclassifying 6–7% of Israel's population as obese patients with heightened mortality risk.

Understanding obesity beyond weight measurements

Prof. Dror Dicker, an obesity treatment specialist directing Internal Medicine Ward D at Sharon Hospital, explained, "This revised definition potentially allows earlier obesity disease identification – preventing life-threatening complications before they develop. Today we recognize obesity not merely as a weight measurement, but as a sophisticated chronic condition with profound health consequences. The updated definition may help us identify high-risk patients sooner and prevent dangerous disease progression. Nevertheless, additional research remains essential to determine which patients will genuinely benefit from pharmaceutical treatments or medical interventions."

Dr. Thomas Krafty, serving as both physician and data scientist at Holon Institute of Technology, clarified, "When comparing newly classified obesity patients to normal-weight individuals without underlying conditions, mortality risk increases by 50% – matching risk levels found in normal-weight people with existing medical conditions. Compared to individuals retaining overweight classification under the new system, mortality risk jumps 77% higher."

Prof. Orna Reges, functioning as epidemiologist and researcher within Ariel University's Health Systems Management Department, concluded, "Given this expanded overweight population now classified as living with obesity and facing increased mortality risk, we must evaluate their potential response to specialized treatments. Further investigation is crucial to validate these findings, enable personalized obesity treatment approaches, and reduce obesity-related complications and deaths."

The post Amid Israeli research: 50M Americans to be diagnosed with obesity appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

In addition to the five fatalities, 20 people were injured. Two sustained moderate injuries while the rest were lightly hurt.

Three survivors were rescued from the reinforced security room (known in Israel as a "mamad") on the fourth floor, where they had been trapped beneath the rubble. As of now, there are no further reports of people unaccounted for.

Among the dead were a woman and a man in their 40s, a man in his early 20s, and a fourth individual whose identity has not yet been confirmed.

Magen David Adom paramedic Dvir Ben Ze'ev, who was at the scene in southern Israel, described the devastation: "We responded with a large team that included intensive care units, ambulances, rapid response vehicles, and motorcycles. We saw massive destruction along the street where the missile hit. At the entrance to one building, an unconscious man was lying on the ground. After searching further, we found two more victims — a man and a woman — also unconscious. We performed medical examinations, but sadly there was nothing we could do except pronounce them dead."

Additional Magen David Adom teams continued treating around eight other casualties, including two in moderate condition and six lightly wounded.

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