Jerusalem, 27 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Today, Tuesday, January 27, in a historic event, a state ceremony was held in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, a Muslim nation, to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

The ceremony was attended by Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Yermek Kosherbayev, diplomats, senior government officials, members of parliament, heads of religious communities and university rectors in Kazakhstan.

The event was held at the initiative of the Israeli Embassy in Kazakhstan together with the German Embassy and under the leadership of the ICIID (Interfaith and Interreligious Dialogue) under the ministry of Culture of Kazakhstan.

“Unfortunately, the ancient disease of anti-Semitism is once again showing its ugly face,” Sa’ar said at the event. “The new anti-Semitism is trying to undermine the right of the Jewish people to defend themselves. We have already seen what happens when we do not have the ability to do so.”

Saa’r went on to remind the world of the antisemitic slaughter in Australia on Hanukah and the October 7 massacre adding, “That is why I say this today, we have sworn – never again! This oath will not be broken. The Jewish state will defend itself vigorously against any threat. We have no other choice. We will fulfill this vow.”

Earlier, Minister Kosherbayev made the following comments: “Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in April 1992, we have built comprehensive cooperation based on mutual respect and trust and achieved significant progress in political, economic and cultural interaction. Your current visit to Astana is a confirmation of our shared interest in elevating our partnership to a new level.”

Jerusalem, 27 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israel’s Knesset Labor and Welfare Committee on Tuesday approved for first reading a bill that would abolish the maximum age limit for foster parents, removing the current cap of 56. The legislation, sponsored by MKs Karin Elharer and Yinon Azoulay, aims to address a shortage of foster families, with officials noting that at least 70 children are waiting for placement at any given time.

Committee members and representatives from the ministry of Social Affairs backed the move, saying age alone should not disqualify suitable families. Data presented showed nearly 5,000 children in foster care nationwide, and growing interest from older prospective foster parents currently barred by the limit.

The IDF shares in the family’s sorrow. The IDF will continue to accompany the families and returnees and will act to strengthen the security of Israel’s citizens. In this way, all hostages from the Gaza Strip have been returned.

Throughout the war, the terrorist advanced many terror plots against the State of Israel and the IDF forces, and recently acted to restore the artillery capabilities of the terrorist organization Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. The terrorist’s actions constituted a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon. The IDF will continue to operate to remove any threat to the State of Israel.

Jerusalem, 27 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israel’s Health and Environmental Protection Ministries reported high levels of air pollution in the center of the country and the Negev on Tuesday. The pollution comes from dust carried by southwesterly winds from North Africa.

Northern regions are expected to be affected later.

The ministries warn that sensitive groups — including the elderly, pregnant women, children and cardiovascular patients — should avoid strenuous outdoor activity, while the general population is advised to limit intense physical exertion outdoors.

According to forecasts, high to very high pollution levels will continue nationwide on Wednesday before subsiding with the onset of rain.

Jerusalem, 27 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israel’s Defense Ministry signed a multi-year NIS 570 million ($183 million) agreement with Elbit Systems for air munitions, aiming to strengthen Israel’s defense industrial base and enhance the military’s operational capabilities.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said the initiative “prioritizes growing our domestic defense sector, boosting Israeli manufacturing, and deepening partnerships with local industry,” emphasizing its role in ensuring reliable supply chains and national resilience.

Jerusalem, 27 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — AISAP, an Israeli leader in AI diagnostics, has published a peer-reviewed study in Frontiers in Digital Health demonstrating that its deep learning platform can accurately detect major heart conditions from a single echocardiographic view. Analyzing over 120,000 studies, the AI identified heart failure and valvular disease with an AUC of up to 0.97, even when images were captured by non-cardiologists using handheld devices.

“This approach removes technical barriers to cardiac imaging, enabling clinicians to identify life-threatening conditions at the bedside,” said Dr. Lior Fisher of sheba medical Center. AISAP’s FDA-cleared POCAD platform is already in clinical use, expanding access to specialist-level cardiac diagnostics across hospitals and rural clinics worldwide.

Jerusalem, 27 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Marking a milestone in remote fertility care, Pulsenmore Ltd. and Clalit Health Services have launched Israel’s first at-home follicular monitoring service for women undergoing IVF and fertility preservation.

The service will be operated through Beilinson NEXT, Beilinson Medical Center’s virtual hospital, allowing eligible patients to perform ultrasound scans from home with real-time guidance and specialist oversight. The commercial agreement follows an 18-month pilot and is potentially valued at about $4.5 million over five years.

Pulsenmore said clinical studies at Beilinson showed strong agreement between home-based and in-clinic measurements, supporting wider rollout in Israel in the coming weeks.

Jerusalem, 27 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Education Minister Yoav Kish announced today that Prof. Shulamit Michaeli is the recipient of the 2026 Israel Prize in the field of life sciences research.

The award committee noted in its reasoning that Prof. Michaeli is a world-class pioneer in RNA research in parasites and a pioneer in the study of RNA and the function of its various forms, focusing on disease-causing parasites that attack populations from large regions of the world. A local example of these diseases is the “Rose of Jericho” disease, which is common in Israel and is caused by a Leishmania parasite.

The committee also noted that Prof. Michaeli’s research has shed light and continues to advance our understanding of the processes of processing and editing of RNA types in parasites, and its function in controlling the life of each cell. These studies are pioneering and have opened up the understanding of the function of modifications on small, non-coding RNA molecules. Her activity continues today at an impressive pace, with her research being published in the world’s leading journals and leading to important improvements in the medical treatment of diseases caused by parasites.