Israeli defense minister tests positive for COVID-19

JERUSALEM – Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz announced on Friday that he has tested positive for COVID-19. “I feel good,” Gantz tweeted about his diagnosis.

“In the coming days I will conduct defense matters from my home.” In recent weeks, Israel has been facing a spike in coronavirus cases, with more than 65,000 new cases reported on Thursday, according to the health ministry.

Meanwhile, about 600 Israelis are critically ill and being treated in hospitals, the ministry said. Several Israeli lawmakers have been infected with the coronavirus in the past month, including the foreign and finance ministers.

Since the beginning of the pandemic almost two years ago, 8,370 Israelis have died of COVID-19, while over 2 million have contracted the virus.