SECURITY/DEFENSE:

*Today, Monday, is day 55 of the virtual Gaza ceasefire.

*Today is Gilad Shalit’s 779th day in Hamas captivity.

*IDF soldiers involved in counter-terror operations in Yehuda and Shomron on Sunday night arrested 8 suspects. They were turned over to the ISA (Israel Security Agency – Shin Bet) for interrogation.

POLITICS, DOMESTIC & MORE:

*2 dead and others injured in smuggling tunnel collapse near Rafiach on Sunday.

*Over 100,000 people visited the Kosel on Tisha B’Av, Kol Chai Radio reported.

*There were no injuries in a reported gas leak in Tel Hashomer Hospital on Sunday night. A fire department hazmat unit detected the cause of the believed leak was the spreading of fertilizer in a nearby field.

*Minister of Housing Ze’ev Boim to announce his support for one of the Kadima candidates in the party’s primary race.

*Directors of the nation’s government hospitals are calling on ministers to stop the bid for the construction of a new hospital in Ashdod. They explain the funds are needed to support the hospitals that are crumbling under the fiscal strain.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)