Miami-Dade County, Florida, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava confirmed that the death toll from the building collapse is currently nine people “As of today, one victim passed away in the hospital, and we’ve recovered eight more victims on-site, so I am confirming today that the death toll is at nine,” the mayor said. She said that they have identified four of the victims and notified the next of kin. “We are making every effort to identify those others who have been recovered, and additionally, contacting their family members as soon as we are able,” she said.

Nearly three years before an oceanfront building collapsed near Miami, an engineering firm estimated that major repairs the building needed would cost more than $9 million, according to newly released emails. The email from the firm of Morabito Consultants was among a series of documents released by the city of Surfside as rescue efforts continued at the site of the collapsed building, where more than 150 people remained unaccounted for. At least five people were killed in the collapse. The release of the 2018 cost estimate followed the earlier publication of another document from the firm showing the ground-floor pool deck of the building was resting on a concrete slab that had “major structural damage” and needed to be extensively repaired.

Rescue crews found another body in the rubble of a collapsed 12-story condominium tower near Miami on Saturday, raising the death toll to five as they raced to recover any survivors while fighting back fire and smoke deep inside the concrete and metal remains. Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced the heightened toll at an evening news briefing, saying the identification of three bodies had dropped the number of unaccounted for down to 156. She said crews also discovered other unspecified human remains. Officials said the remains they find are being sent to the medical examiner, and they are also gathering DNA samples from family members to help identify them. Separately, a video posted online showed an official briefing families of missing loved ones.

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A massive search and rescue effort was underway following the collapse of a 12-story condominium building in Surfside early Thursday. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials said more than 80 units responded to the collapse at the condominium building near 88th Street and Collins Avenue just north of Miami Beach around 1:30AM. Hatzalah of South Florida was dispatched to the scene, and has been working closely with Miami Dade Rescue Fire Recue Command. Highly credible sources tell YWN that people are missing – including 8-9 Jewish people who are unaccounted for. Horrific footage from the scene showed a large section of the building collapsed into a pile of rubble. It was unknown how many people had been in the building and there was no word on how many people could be injured.

The coronavirus vaccine has no effect on male or female fertility, a study carried out by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer showed, according to a Jerusalem Post report. The study evaluated 36 couples who underwent unsuccessful fertility treatments before being vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine and then came back for another round of fertility treatments afterward. The researchers thoroughly examined all criteria and found that the vaccines had absolutely no impact on any aspect of fertility. “We decided to carry out this research because many people are scared of the possible effects of the vaccines on fertility,” said Prof.

At least 48% of Gazans killed during Operation Guardian of the Walls were members of terrorist organizations, according to a report released by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center on Tuesday. The report said that 112 of the 234 fatalities were tied to Hamas, Islamic Jihad or other terrorist groups, with 63 tied to Hamas, 20 to Islamic Jihad, 25 to a Fatah-associated terrorist wing and several others to small splinter terror groups. Another 11 male fatalities between the ages of 17 and 40 are also suspected to have ties to terrorist groups in light of the circumstances of their deaths but the think tank was unable to find conclusive proof. The report added that many of the women and children who were killed were family members of terrorists.

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid spoke by phone on Tuesday with US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. “The two had a warm and positive conversation and discussed the importance of bipartisan support for Israel in the United States,” the Foreign Ministry stated. Lapid “thanked Pelosi for her longstanding support of Israel and the two agreed to remain in touch.” “Very pleased to talk with Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid to congratulate him on his new position and the new government,” Pelosi wrote on Twitter. “We discussed the strong relationship and shared values between our two countries. Very pleased to talk with Israeli Foreign Minister @YairLapid to congratulate him on his new position and the new government.

Israeli officials on Wednesday decided to postpone the entry of international tourists from countries with low coronavirus rates for at least a month (August 1st at the earliest) over the recent surge of COVID-19 in Israel. A meeting was held between Prime Minister Bennett and Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz, and the decision was made. The announcement comes on the second consecutive day that Israel confirmed over 100 new coronavirus cases, the highest number since April. The country was set to begin reopening to individual foreign tourists on July 1, based on the Health Ministry’s outline, but two coronavirus outbreaks in schools in Binyamina and Modi’in have led to the daily number of COVID cases spike to the highest since April.

Anat Kimchi, z’l, of Maryland, was stabbed in the back in broad daylight over the weekend while on a visit to friends in Chicago and died from her wounds. Kimchi, 31, a resident of Montgomery Country, was a doctoral student in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Maryland. She is the daughter of Avi and Chava Kimchi and a sister to Itamar and Ofer Kimchi. Kimchi was found on a Chicago sidewalk at about 4 p.m., bleeding from her neck. She was pronounced dead at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. The site of the crime was was in a remote area of downtown near a homeless encampment. Police Supt. David Brown said they suspect the perpetrator was a homeless person who hid in the bushes before committing the grisly crime.