Israel's tally of suspected cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant doubled within two days, the Health Ministry said Thursday evening.
According to the ministry's latest data, suspected infections jumped from 150 on Tuesday to 283 on Thursday evening. The number of confirmed cases remains unchanged at 89.
According to the ministry, 28 people who arrived at the Ben-Gurion International Airport over the past week have so far been confirmed as coronavirus carriers, although it is unclear if they are infected with the Omicron strain.
Thirteen arrived on Israir Airlines flight 6H142 from Grenoble, France on December 10, 12 on an El Al flight LY018 from Miami on Wednesday, and three more on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa on Tuesday.
The government has recently imposed 3-7 day self-isolation orders for all Israelis returning from abroad, inoculated or otherwise.
Israel also reported on Thursday a mass Omicron outbreak at a school in Jerusalem. After routine testing at Tehilla-Evelina de Rothschild Secondary School, 62 students and two staff members were confirmed to have been infected with the variant.
Also on Thursday, the Palestinian health ministry said that it had identified the first cases of the COVID-19 Omicron variant on territory under its jurisdiction in the West Bank.
At least three cases were detected, and all were individuals who had recently returned to the West Bank from abroad, Health Ministry Spokesman Kamal Al-Shakhrah said in a statement.
In response to the discovery, the ministry said medical teams were tracking down and testing those who had recently come into contact with the three people.