After government dropped plan to release Talmud Torahs from lockdown, interior minister said to have informed ultra-Orthodox leaders that at one point PM would have let them open

Edelstein vows to do what he can to crack down on ultra--Orthodox schools continuing to open illegally; Bnei Brak deputy mayor says city will not comply with rules

Moshe Gafni says he made issue 'clear' to Netanyahu during conversation; health minister warns schools breaching lockdown may be fined, lose licenses

Ronni Gamzu said to make great efforts to dissuade experts, while internally warning that illegal opening of Torah institutions could serve a crushing blow to public trust

Move comes after top rabbi ordered classes to resume; ministers call for defunding institutions that reopened, while ultra-Orthodox express fury at Netanyahu

Ronni Gamzu urges Israelis to keep to the health guidelines, says complacency could take cities backwards as country prepares to roll back restrictions amid fears of repeated chaos

Opening will reportedly depend on morbidity in community continuing to decline; health minister denies reports religious high schools allowed to reopen Sunday

Journalist says he was hit, threatened, had his cellphone taken, and was told he could have been killed while reporting on illegal gathering

Positive test rates among ultra-Orthodox down nearly half, but still double the national average; health officials warn it is still too early to resume education in Haredi areas

Yehuda Meshi-Zahav says many ultra-Orthodox are fighting virus, but a worrying number refuse and won't reconsider even as death toll rises and hatred of community spreads