BBC News reports that Saudi Arabia will allow unvaccinated foreign visitors to the Mecca as part of the Umrah pilgrimage. Last month the country allowed only vaccinated residents and citizens to participate in the pilgrimage, but the change in policy will begin this week. Over the last 18 months, since closing its borders at the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic the country has recorded 532,000 positive cases with 8,300 deaths.

BBC News reports that Aramco, the Saudi Arabian oil giant, has seen its profits jump significantly after a rise in oil prices and increased demand. According to the report, crude oil prices have risen by more than 30 per cent, which boosted Aramco’s profits go up 288 per cent in the second quarter.

The Times reports that Hassan Nasrallah denied any Hezbollah involvement in the Beirut port blast that killed over 200 people last August. This marked Nasrallah’s first comments since the August 4^th anniversary of the attack. Nasrallah accused the judge investigating the explosion of bias and politicising the process. The Hezbollah added that any connection to the explosion was ridiculous as the terrorist group also had “ample supplies of explosives without needing to bring in more.”

The Associated Press reports that Iran is dealing with its largest surge of COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic. Record cases and deaths are rising every day. The most recent data released by health officials for a single day shows 39,600 positive tests and 542 days. The country also have 6,462 patients in critical condition. These figures are the highest of any country in the Middle East.

The Telegraph investigates the maritime “shadow war” between Iran and Israel. The paper reports that at least 20 civilian ships have been attacked by mines, drones and commandos and that these attacks have risen dramatically since 2019: “The assaults on oil tankers, cargo ships and other vessels have escalated sharply over the past six months and shipping industry and security experts fear an undeclared naval conflict destabilising some of the world’s busiest trade routes.”

The Times reports that a former Iranian official accused of overseeing the mass execution of dissidents in the 1980s will stand trial in Sweden tomorrow. Hamid Nouri was arrested in 2019 after traveling to Stockholm to visit relatives. The paper notes that “The case took on new significance with the inauguration last week of President Raisi, a former chief justice. He was involved in the same purges as Nouri, in which thousands of people were executed.”

All the Israeli continues to cover the rising COVID-19 cases amid discussion of a possible fourth lockdown. While the number of positive tests dropped over the weekend, Health Ministry data reported 3,371 new positive tests. Out of 87,915 tests carried out on Sunday, the infection rate stands at 3.8 per cent. At least 360 patients remain in critical condition with 57 on ventilators. In total, the country has recorded 6,542 deaths from the virus.

Kan Radio news reports that Prime Minister Naftali Bennett suggested a fourth lockdown may be required during the high holidays in September. Bennett warned that if current guidelines do not reduce the rate and spread of infection, harsher measures would be implemented.

Maariv reports that the growing rate of infection coupled with the threat of a fourth lockdown led to a tense meeting during yesterday’s cabinet meeting. The paper quotes Minister Yifat Shasha-Biton who said that “People are living in existential anxiety over their livelihoods. Talk of a lockdown creates a reality on the ground. We need to strike talk of a lockdown from the agenda.” In contrast, Public Security Minister Omer Bar Lev saying “There’s no reason to frighten the public but we do have to tell the public the truth, and the truth is that the reality is frightening. According to the data, the number of people hospitalized in serious condition doubles every ten days, and it seems that in less than a month we’re going to reach the hospitals’ capacity.”

There remains an ongoing debate about the beginning of the school year. Army Radio News reports that Secretary-General of Israel Teachers Union Yaffa Ben-David criticised the government’s back to school plan saying it “says precisely nothing. It is not clear, it is very convoluted… the people sitting in their ivory tower are not experts in the education system and don’t know how the education system functions. If this is the way they want to function it’s going to be a big mess.” The radio report also notes that  Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said was vital to begin the school year on time: “All the measures we are taking are intended to ensure that the school year can begin on time in the framework of this project.”

In Yediot Ahronot Sever Plockner argues that everyone must be required to get vaccinated, comparing it to the law that requires drivers and passengers to wear a seatbelt. He warns this is the only way to stop the spread of further infection. He argues “If legally mandating the use of seatbelts in cars is morally justified—when seatbelts protect only the passengers in those cars—mandating a coronavirus vaccination is even more morally justified. Either that or, at the very least, the people who choose to remain unvaccinated can be barred from entering any place in which they are liable to infect others. You don’t want to become vaccinated? You’re welcome to entertain yourself at home, to work from home and study from home. If you can’t do that, you have only yourself to blame—either you or the person who prevented you from getting vaccinated.”

Nahum Barnea writes for Yediot Ahronot saying that as the pandemic has gone on, he has found himself “with more questions than answers.” He writes “From the time that the coronavirus first arrived in Israel in February 2020, we’ve been told by top Health Ministry officials that the Israeli hospitals’ patient capacity in all that pertains to the coronavirus stands at 1,200 beds. Why hasn’t anyone asked how come not a single additional bed has been added in the last year and a half? Does that make any sense? During the first wave, officials were worried that there wouldn’t be enough ventilators for the seriously ill. The Mossad spent a fortune buying dubious ventilators from all kinds of shady characters around the world, while a special unit from the IDF Military Intelligence Directorate found a way to build ventilators out of other machines. All of those ventilators are currently locked away in a storage room somewhere, with zero demand. Meanwhile, doctors realised that the use of ventilators could be damaging. The rising number of people hospitalized in serious condition is cause for concern, but very few of them are on ventilators. Shouldn’t that warrant a recount?”

The papers also report that Bahrain’s Undersecretary for International Relations visited Israel on Sunday. Sheikh Abdullah bin Ahmad al Khalifa spoke about the negative impact of the JCPOA nuclear deal on the Middle East saying it led to “more crises and more chaos in the region.” He is on a four day visit to Israel where he is scheduled to meet with the President, Prime Minister and Former Minister. In his initial remarks he said that while he initially hoped the agreement would open the door for a more regional cooperation, al Khalifa said “it has fueled crises across the Middle East. It has increased the number of refugees that have fled into Europe. It has caused more instigation of extremism and hatred in many different regions across the Middle East.”

All the Israeli media cover Israeli gymnast Linoy Ashram winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics. This marked Israel’s first woman gold medalist in rhythm gymnastics. Linoy is quoted saying,  “It hasn’t hit me yet, I slept maybe 40 minutes last night. I did not exactly sleep, it was more like dozing. I am still at peak excitement from [Saturday]… I never imagined in my life that I would return with a medal, let alone a gold.”