The IDF carried out airstrikes on Hamas terror targets in the Gaza Strip early Thursday morning for the eleventh consecutive night in response to the continuous launching of incendiary balloons into southern Israel by Gazan terror groups. Fires continued to rage in southern Israel on Thursday, including a fire on the train tracks in Kibbutz Erez and the seventh fire in the Kissufim forest in recent days. At least 28 fires broke out in Gaza border communities on Wednesday as a result of arson balloons launched by Hamas, causing heavy damage to agricultural fields. Over 200 fires have raged in southern Israel over the past two weeks.

The Health Ministry reported 1,637 new coronavirus cases as of Thursday morning in the previous 24 hours. There are currently 23,913 active cases, with 403 in serious condition, of whom 110 are ventilated. The death toll has risen to 789. The Knesset’s coronavirus committee convened on Thursday afternoon to discuss what measures to take regarding the upcoming Chagim in light of the continuously high coronavirus infection rate and the rising number of seriously ill coronavirus patients, which are seriously tasking the limits of Israel’s hospitals. Coronavirus czar Prof. Ronni Gamzu and National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat are reportedly in favor of imposing a nationwide lockdown over the Chagim period.

El Al Airlines announced on Tuesday that it is extending its freeze on almost all passenger flights until September 30. The company is also extending the unpaid leave of the majority of its 6,080 employees. The statement said that the extension was due to “continued restrictions regarding mandatory isolation for travelers entering Israel (apart from several countries) and the ban on foreign tourists from entering Israel.” “There is still a significant way to go until the resumption of scheduled flights,” said El Al CEO Gonen Usishkin. “In order for flights to resume, countries must abolish quarantine requirements, shorten checking procedures and the public must regain confidence in flights.” Israel began a partial reopening of its skies to a limited number of countries on Sunday.

The number of seriously ill coronavirus patients in Israel soared to over 400 this week, overloading Israel’s hospitals and raising the risk of medical professionals’ worst fears of patients dying due to a lack of beds, equipment or staff, chas v’chalilah. The coronavirus wards in Laniado Hospital was operating at 117% capacity and the Galil Medical Center at 127% capacity as of Tuesday, joining five of Israel’s hospitals that are already operating above capacity in their coronavirus wards. And all remaining coronavirus wards in Israel’s hospitals are operating at 80%-95% capacity.

Former advisor to President Trump, Steve Bannon, and four others have been indicted for illegally funneling money from the “We Build The Wall” fund. Bannon, along with three of his associates were indicted by investigators at the U.S. Southern District of New York on Thursday.

Sudanese Foreign Minister Omar Qamar al-Din Ismail fired Haider Badawi Sadiq, a spokesperson for the Sudanese Foreign Ministry on Wednesday for stating on Tuesday that Israel and Sudan were engaged in normalization talks. Ismail stated that the government was “astonished” by Sadiq’s remarks that Sudan has had contact with Israel. “The Foreign Ministry was surprised to see the statements of Ambassador Haider Badawi Sadiq, the ministry’s spokesman, about Sudan’s attempt to establish relations with Israel,” Ismail stated in a press release.

The mayor of Uman, Oleksandr Tsebriy, has settled outside the office of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev, equipped with a pillow, sleeping bag and folding chair, in a “protest” against the mass arrival of Jews to Uman for Rosh Hashanah. Tsebriy wants the Ukrainian government to forbid visitors to Uman before Rosh Hashanah due to the coronavirus pandemic and is waiting outside Zelensky’s office in a bid to meet with him regarding the issue, even equipping himself with a certificate that he is negative for the coronavirus. However, at least so far, he has not been admitted to the presidential office. The mayor said that he is even prepared to block the entrance of Uman with checkpoints if the visitors aren’t banned.

A third potential investor in El Al Airlines joined the competition and requested a permit to purchase a controlling stake in the company, Globes reported on Tuesday. Russian-Israeli businessman David Sapir is following in the footsteps of Eli Rozenberg, son of New York-based businessman Kenny Rosenberg, and Meir Gurvitz, a controlling shareholder in Arazim Investment Ltd. and son-in-law of famed singer Mordechai Ben-David, who splits his time between Israel and New York. Sapir, 61, owns telecommunications and tourism companies. According to the Globes report, Sapir does not own businesses in Israel and is not well-known in the country but has maintained a home in Israel since 2018 where he frequently stays and describes himself as a Zionist.

A 14-year-old boy suffered a serious head injury after a tree fell on him in Woodbourne, Wednesday morning. It happened at the Nitra Camp on Budd Road, when what appeared to be a rotten tree limb fell and struck the boy in the head. Catskills Hatzolah Paramedics arrived and found him unconscious, with a serious head injury. He was airlifted to the Albany Trauma Center where he is listed in serious condition. Please say Tehillim for Menachen Mendel ben Tzirel Shlomtza (שלאמצא). STAY WITH YWN WHATSAPP FOR BREAKING UPDATES IN LIVE TIME!  YWN WHATSAPP STATUS UPDATES: CLICK HERE to join the YWN WhatsApp Status. YWN WHATSAPP GROUPS: CLICK HERE to be dded to an official YWN WhatsApp Group. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A Jewish mother and her 6 children flying from Orlando to Newark Airport were thrown off the plane over a mask issue involving a toddler. The father tells YWN that the mom and 5 of the children were all masked-up as they headed home to Flatbush, Brooklyn, but their youngest child – two years old, was not wearing a mask. A flight attendant requested that the child wear a mask, but the mother explained that there is no way the child will wear one. More importantly, the mother also explained to the flight attendant that according to the JetBlue policy, her child was not even required to wear a mask.