We request that anyone who was in contact, or whose animals were in contact, in the event area with the infected animal or a stray animal, between the dates 10.12.2025 and 31.12.2025 inclusive, to urgently contact the Safed Health Bureau, telephone 04-6994257, 04-6994200, or the Health Bureau closest to their place of residence in order to consider preventive treatment. 
After working hours and during the weekend, please go to the emergency room at the hospital.

The ministry of Health requests:

• Parents of children – check with their children if they were in contact with suspected animals and contact the Health Bureau urgently.
• Pet owners – contact the municipal veterinarian to verify their vaccination status.
• Pass on the information about the event to travelers and vacationers in the area and in nearby settlements.

The ministry of Health reminds again that anyone bitten or scratched by an animal should immediately wash the area with running water and soap, disinfect with antiseptic materials, and go to the Health Bureau to check if preventive treatment against Rabies is necessary. 

The Tender publication is intended to increase the number of foreign workers in the construction sector and to address the shortage of skilled workers, particularly in wet trades. 

The new Tender will strengthen the foreign worker recruitment system in a professional and controlled manner, while maintaining the integrity of the selection process, reducing brokerage fees, and protecting workers’ rights.

Within the framework of the Tender, the Ministry intends to select up to four winners, up to two for each of the two clusters: the building sector and the renovation sub-sector. The contract period will be set for one year, with an option for extension up to five years cumulatively, depending on the Ministry’s needs.

The annual scope of the contract will be up to NIS 2 million (including VAT), with the possibility of expansion according to the Ministry’s decision.

Director General of the Ministry of Construction and Housing, Yehuda Morgenstern: “In recent years, the Ministry has been leading a broad initiative to ensure the arrival of skilled workers to the construction sector, while ensuring professionalism, transparency, and the protection of workers’ rights. The new Tender will allow for the expansion of selection and training activities abroad and support the continued construction momentum throughout the country.” 

The full tender documents are published on the Government Procurement Administration website
The deadline for submitting clarification questions is 11.1.2026 at 12:00 PM, and the deadline for submitting offers is 29.1.2026 at 12:00 PM.     

Offers will be submitted online through the Government Procurement Administration’s Yahalom system.
 

Jerusalem, 5 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Opsfleet, an Israel-based provider of technology infrastructure services, has acquired Raven Data, a boutique Israeli data and AI consultancy, in a deal valued at several million shekels. The acquisition expands Opsfleet’s offerings beyond cloud infrastructure and system modernization into full-cycle data engineering, analytics, and applied artificial intelligence.

Raven Data, founded in 2019 by former IDF Intelligence Corps officer Omer Fogel, has grown organically without external funding and serves leading tech firms and enterprises in Israel, with recent expansion into Europe. Following the deal, Raven Data will operate as a dedicated unit within Opsfleet, supporting growth in Israel, Europe, and the UK.

Jerusalem, 5 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — The Israel Defense Forces said it struck a Hamas terrorist in southern Gaza planning an “imminent” attack on soldiers.

“The terrorist posed a real threat to IDF forces and was therefore attacked with a precision strike,” the IDF said.

The army added that steps were taken to minimize harm to civilians, including the use of precision weapons, aerial surveillance, and other measures.

In recent weeks, a covert investigation has been conducted by a task force in the National Unit for the Fight Against Economic Crime (YALAK) at Lahav 433 against suspects from the bakri crime organization for offenses of extortion by threats, money laundering, VAT, and income tax offenses.

According to suspicion, during the past two years, the suspects instilled fear, extorted victims by threats for the purpose of extorting money while committing tax offenses and distributing fictitious invoices in the scope of millions of shekels.

This morning, the National Unit for the Fight Against Economic Crime at Lahav 433 launched an overt investigation in cooperation with the Investigations Unit of Customs and VAT Haifa at the tax authority, the Authority for the Prohibition of money laundering, and with the accompaniment of the Northern District Attorney’s Office, and arrested 7 suspects, including senior members of the Bakri crime organization.

Today, 05.01.26, YALAK officers, along with Border Police fighters, Matpat’a fighters, and detectives from the Prisons Service’s ‘Dror’ unit, arrested and detained 7 suspects who were brought for investigation at Lahav 433. At the end of the investigation, they will be brought for an extension of detention hearing at the Magistrate’s Court in Nazareth.

Jerusalem, 5 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Charlotte Niddam, a 15-year-old Israeli missing after the deadly New Year’s Eve fire at the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana, has been confirmed dead, her family said. Charlotte, who also had British and French citizenship, will likely be laid to rest in Paris, her mother announced on Facebook.

The blaze, which erupted shortly after midnight during a party, killed 40 people and injured over 100. Israel’s Foreign Ministry had previously reported one citizen among the missing.

Jerusalem, 5 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israel’s Ministry of Agriculture confirmed H5N1 bird flu in a flock of around 2,000 breeding ducks in Moshav Sde Yaakov in northern Israel following unusual mortality among the birds — the first commercial poultry outbreak of the 2025–2026 season.

A 10-kilometer quarantine zone has been imposed around the farm, restricting poultry movements and enforcing strict biosafety measures. The ministry urges owners of backyard, ornamental, and free-range birds to keep them indoors and advises the public to consume only properly labeled and thoroughly cooked poultry and eggs.

Last year, 16 outbreaks were recorded across Israel.

Jerusalem, 5 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israeli authorities arrested seven suspects linked to the Bakri crime organization on Tuesday. The investigation, led by Lahav 433’s National Economic Crime Unit, focused on extortion, tax offenses, and money laundering, including the use of fictitious invoices worth millions of shekels. The suspects, including senior figures, were detained for questioning and are expected to face a remand hearing at Nazareth Magistrate’s Court.

My son,

I stand here and cannot believe it. I refuse to believe that the journey of your life was cut short so suddenly and painfully. The words I am reading now from this page were carved out of the sorrow, shock, and pain that befell us all. We stand here with your family, with your parents, with your beloved wife Yael and your children, with your many friends and admirers – multitudes – and still cannot believe, cannot comprehend that this has happened.

In legal circles, the name Benni Sagie is synonymous with professionalism, dedication, determination, and out-of-the-box thinking. Benni was a rising star in the judiciary: he was appointed to the bench at a young age, went from strength to strength until he became the President of the district court in Be’er Sheva.

Day after day, Benni would arrive early in the morning at the courthouse, first in Tel Aviv and then in Be’er Sheva, enter the courtroom, and sit down to do justice. No headlines, no fanfare – just to do justice.

The long focus days, which were Benni’s hallmark, were a fascinating lesson in both criminal law and human understanding. Benni knew how to truly listen to the parties who appeared before him. He brought with him a deep knowledge of the intricacies of criminal law; but no less knowledge – of the intricacies of human beings, their hopes, their motives, and their desires. Benni was an expert in the delicate seams between law and life.

Anyone who had the privilege of knowing Benni could not help but be impressed by his stature, both physical and metaphorical. Benni was a great man in every sense of the word, an exceptional legal talent, and a rare individual from whom charisma simply flowed. A man with a huge heart, a man whom everyone, but everyone, loved to love – judges, staff, lawyers, even defendants – everyone who met him was immediately captivated by his charm.

In his roles as Vice President and President of the courts in Tel Aviv and Be’er Sheva, Benni was a true force of nature. I will not exaggerate if I say that he worked wonders wherever he went, and so it was at the District Court in Be’er Sheva, which he unified and led in the last year and a half. Benni was a president who managed with a systemic vision and a sense of justice, and was meticulous in leading primarily through personal example. I have no doubt that were it not for this terrible tragedy, Benni would have achieved many more accomplishments in the court system and beyond.

Benni’s passing leaves a great void in the hearts of many, in the heart of the judiciary, and also in my heart. As someone who knew Benni since he was in the Magistrate’s Court, I was impressed by him anew at every conference and every meeting, and I greatly appreciated his professional approach as well as his good spirit and sharp sense of humor.

A special and deep bond connected Benni with the Director of the Courts, Judge Tzachi Uziel – a bond that began at the start of their careers, during their internships, and was built over years of friendship and partnership.

On weekends, Benni and Tzachi would walk around Tel Aviv – and so they also walked the paths of life: on their professional journey and in the court system. They developed together, were shaped together, and a deep, sincere, and rare true friendship was forged between them. Tzachi, I know you have lost a soulmate and life partner, I share in your sorrow.

Benni’s loss is a deep personal blow to all who accompanied him – from the beginning of his path until that accursed yesterday.

In an article you wrote, Benni, you stated that “a judge is a human being who is required daily to make complex decisions concerning people like himself. […] A judge who does his work faithfully is a judge who enters the courtroom with knowledge, the ability to listen, openness to be persuaded, and a clear understanding that he too might err in his ruling.”

You preached well, Benni, and you practiced well. You were a guide to many judges, you shared your experience, your insights as a judge and as a human being.

Benni – you were a champion in human relations, a champion in judicial work, a champion in criminal law, a champion in arrests, mediations, and plea bargains in the most complex cases, a champion in your unbelievable work output, in your endless dedication to judicial work, in your burning belief that it is possible and necessary to work with youth, to speak with students at eye level and introduce them to the justice system. Benni – you did not condescend to the people, because you were always among the people, part of the people, loving people as they are, a man of the people. So many people testified that you were their friend, because indeed you were everyone’s friend, a true and unquestioned consensus.

Benni, I hope that your image, your work, and the values you championed will be a small comfort to your dear family whom you loved so much. They were your pride. To your parents – Yossi and Frida; to your sisters – Sharon and Neta; to your dear wife Yael; and to your beloved children – Rani, Gili, and Ori – there are no words that will be adequate comfort. We bow our heads in deep sorrow, and ask to embrace you on behalf of an entire system. We will continue to stand by your side.

Benni, we will miss you very much.

Alas for the lost and unforgotten. We will not forget you, Benni.