Thousands today attended the funeral of Sheikh Hassan Alhalabi at the Majdal Shams football stadium.
Dozens of Druze clerics broke into Ziv Hospital last night and took away the body of the sheikh who had died earlier from the coronavirus.
Northern District Police Commander Superintendent Shimon Lavi ordered to establish a committee to investigate the incidents and police conduct during the funeral events at Majdal Shams and Ziv Hospital. Deputy Health Minister Yoav Kish said "hundreds will be infected, it's frustrating and sad."
Coronavirus coordinator Professor Ronni Gamzu today arrived with his successor, Professor Nachman Ash and Ayman Saif, to visit the village of Furadis, near Zichron Ya'akov. He referred to the large funeral at Majdal Shams and said: "Everyone who attended the funeral should go get tested."
"It is outrageous to see this gathering in a city that's in quarantine and with a high level of morbidity. I want to appeal to the Druze community and especially to the spiritual leadership: As of today, I want the Druze community in all the villages to increase the amount of COVID-19 tests."
Druze community in Israel head Sheikh Mofek Tarif this morning condemned the clerics' break-in at the hospital. "The incident that took place at Ziv Hospital in Safed is not in consonance with the opinion of the leadership of the community and the family of the deceased, who had senior religious status among the community and deserves all respect," he wrote. In his announcement, he stated that "the funeral that took place was held in full coordination with the Israel Police, the Home Front Command, and the Majdal Shams Local Council."
The hospital's security camera shows the clerics breaking through a security checkpoint placed before police officers who stood opposite.
