Interior minister says health officials 'quick on the trigger' when it comes to imposing restrictions on Haredi communities; PM responds that his only guide is health concerns

Officials tell news site there will be a gradual 'liberation' of the economy after Passover, but warn restrictions could return in case of fresh COVID-19 outbreak

Interior minister says country-wide closure had been under discussion for weeks, rejects reports he and health minister thwarted plans to restrict only some ultra-Orthodox areas

Haredi ministers said to oppose shutdown of their community's towns; after special forum is canceled, cabinet set to meet to discuss closure

Woman is said to have had preexisting conditions; number of sick remains at 7,428, having not been updated since Friday night

Three men and a woman in their 70s succumb to the disease; 113 patients in serious condition, 96 of them are on ventilators

Moshe Bar Siman-Tov defends work of Health Minister Litzman, accused of catching COVID-19 after flouting isolation rules; IDF to take over old age homes amid fear of mass outbreak

NSC chief Ben-Shabbat cautions cabinet that this should not yet be seen as steady trend; Friday infections rise by 173 cases to 7,030, with 39 dead and 95 patients on ventilators

The principal reason ultra-Orthodox politicians exist is to safeguard the well-being of their insular constituents. When that became a life-or-death mission, they let us all down

Officials interview minister, who tested positive Wednesday, about his whereabouts in recent days; sources close to UTJ head deny he flouted guidelines with indoor group prayer