VFI News April 27, 2021

According to the latest Health Ministry figures, no new COVID-19 daily deaths were reported Thursday in Israel for the first time in ten months.

In data released Friday, the death toll remained unchanged from the day before at 6,346. The last date there were no new fatalities was June 29, when morbidity levels remained subdued following the initial coronavirus wave.

The ministry said of the 35,027 tests performed Thursday, 129 new cases were recorded, a positive test rate of 0.4 percent. The country has logged 837,870 confirmed infections since the pandemic began. (TOI / VFI News)

The Lord sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness you restore him to full health. - Psalm 41:3

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There was concern about terrorism at a joint Israel and United Arab Emirates influencer conference in Dubai in early April, participants told The Jerusalem Post.

According to Israeli participants in the four-day event, UAE security services had warned the organizers that there was intelligence indicating that Iran was interested in the event.

“The organizers told us that UAE Security notified them that there was chatter about how the Iranians were aware we were in the Emirates,” Emily Schrader, founder of Social Lite Creative, said.

To mitigate the threat, the organizers implemented several security precautions and notified the participants. (JPost / VFI News)

"Lord we thank you for revealing the threat and we pray that you would continue to protect Your people from any act of terrorism."

Operations carried out by the Israel Navy in what is dubbed the “war between wars” have been kept in the shadows, until recently.

But a series of leaks to the media, and reports on Iranian attacks against Israeli-owned civilian cargo ships, revealed the intensity of the ongoing shadow war between Jerusalem and Tehran in the areas of the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, as well as the role of the Israeli Navy in that war.

The Navy is comprised of three main active units: the 3rd Flotilla (Shayetet 3), the missile ship unit; the 7th Flotilla (Shayetet 7), the submarine unit; and the 13th Flotilla (Shayetet 13), the Navy commando unit. (JPost / VFI News)

“God, we ask that you bless and protect those who defend Israel, and all who live in the land.”

A Syrian surface-to-air missile (SAM) fired at an Israeli Air Force fighter jet that had been involved in airstrikes on targets in Syria exploded in Israel’s southern Negev region early on Thursday.

Warning sirens went off in the region of the Bedouin village of Abu Qrenat, in the northwest Negev, said the Israel Defense Forces. Residents in the south and Jerusalem reported hearing a loud blast, according to a report by Mako.

Soon afterward, the IAF “struck the battery from which the missile was launched and additional Syrian surface-to-air batteries in the area,” the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said in a statement. (JNS / VFI News)

Every school year, our team works hard to distribute school bags stuffed with supplies for children in need throughout the country. Together, we’re helping children from all backgrounds start off strong—and we’re so thankful for your support.

ON WEDNESDAY, the UN atomic agency said Iran has installed additional advanced centrifuges at its Natanz nuclear plant, the site of a recent blast blamed on Israel.

According to a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency, seen by Reuters, Iran added two more cascades of IR-4 centrifuges and six clusters of IR-2m at its underground facility. The IAEA also confirmed that some of the centrifuges were in use and said the Islamic Republic plans to install another four cascades of the IR-4 at Natanz.

“On 21 April 2021, the Agency verified at FEP that: … six cascades of up to 1,044 IR-2m centrifuges; and two cascades of up to 348 IR-4 centrifuges… were installed, of which a number were being used,” the report said. (TOI / VFI News)

“God, we ask that you continue to protect your people from the threat of nuclear war.”

Israel’s unemployment rate is falling faster than expected, dropping below 10% in March for the first time since before the pandemic. According to Israel Employment Services, the national unemployment rate reached 9.5% for March, compared to 14% in February.

Unemployment was 9.8% during the first half of March, and just 8.9% during the second half of the month, as Israelis began to enjoy the fruits of the economy’s reopening. Eilat, the southern tourist town that previously had the highest rate of unemployment in Israel, saw its unemployment rate drop by some 60% in March as tourism began to return.

Following the announcement, Finance Minister Israel Katz instructed National Insurance Institute director-general, Meir Spiegler, not to reduce unpaid furlough payments by 10% until June 12, the day of when furlough payments for May will be made. (JPost / VFI News)

Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. - Proverbs 16:3

Israeli fighter jets were flying alongside Emirati aircraft last week as part of a major international aerial exercise hosted by Greece, simulating in-air dogfights, large airstrikes, and rescue operations, the Israeli military confirmed last Tuesday.

This is not the first time that Israeli and Emirati pilots have flown with one another — they both participated in a similar Greek-led exercise in 2017 and an American drill the year before — but it marks a rare case of open military cooperation between the two countries, even following last year’s landmark normalization agreement.

Seven countries joined Greece in its Iniohos exercise this year: Cyprus, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, France, the United States, Spain, and Canada. The exercise kicked off last Sunday and was scheduled to last through last Friday. (TOI / VFI News)

Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. - Psalm 82:3

Research from the Technion, Ben Gurion University, and Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin have made a breakthrough in better understanding semiconductors used in solar panels. The scientists were led by Professor Avner Rothschild and studied the efficiency of photoelectrochemical cells in producing energy.

Sunlight can be harvested through photovoltaic cells, which as the name indicates, transforms sunlight directly into energy (volts), and photoelectrochemical cells transform sunlight into hydrogen fuel. The photovoltaic cells are problematic in that they can only generate energy during daylight hours and use rechargeable batteries to store energy at night. This method is cost-inefficient and only a short-term solution.

Photoelectrochemical cells however can store energy without exterior batteries; by using special semiconductors, light energy can split water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen, which can then be stored as fuel to later produce energy. (JPost / VFI News)

“God, we ask that you continue to bless those who work toward a better future for Israel and the world over.”