Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Health Minister Yuli Edelstein agreed on Monday that schools will resume in-class learning for grades 7 to 10 starting next Sunday.
The decision contradicts an earlier agreement Netanyahu made with Education Minister Yoav Galant who demanded the kids return to school as early as Tuesday.
Education Minister Yoav Galant, who reportedly was not briefed on the change in policy, said earlier Monday that the government will convene as early as Tuesday to discuss relaunching in-person schooling in "green" and "yellow" towns - communities with relatively low coronavirus infection rates.
"I hope and believe the government will adopt my position today that schools should fully reopen immediately," Galant said.
Health Minister Edelstein said the decision was made after the R factor, which indicates the spread of coronavirus in the population, rose to 1, after standing at 0.79 just two weeks ago.
The government was set to convene on Monday to discuss the next phase of the reopening of the economy, which is set to include restaurants, cafes and event halls.
The government was also set to decide whether to scrap the Exemptions Committee, the body tasked with monitoring and approving requests to enter or leave Israel.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Health Minister Yuli Edelstein at a vaccination clinic in Jerusalem
Another issue on the agenda was whether to scrap compulsory isolation at state-run hotels to all arrivals in Israel from abroad and opt for them to isolate at home.
Health Ministry officials said that they object to such a decision, saying that it would allow the import of coronavirus variants in the future and endanger the vaccines' efficacy.