* Netanyahu: Abbas is happy with Gantz comments: Prime Minister Netanyahu says former IDF chief Gantz 'said he will carry out a second disengagement in Judea and Samaria' in Yedioth interview, 'and Mahmoud Abbas wished him luck in the elections'; Gantz to Netanyahu: 'You expelled Jews. You paid protection racket to Hamas. Your time is up.' (Yediot Ahronot)
* Gaza's abandoned children: Palestinians leaving their babies at border: Israel warns of 'unacceptable phenomenon' developing along Gaza frontier that sees parents leave their children with total strangers after undergoing medical treatment, so they themselves can remain in Israel illegally. (Yediot Ahronot, Haaretz)
* AG to bar use of photos of politicians with IDF soldiers in election campaign: Following the petition of the Labor Party to prevent further posts involving soldiers on politicians' private social media accounts, Attorney General Mandelblit is expected to bar PM Netanyahu as well as members of all parties from using IDF troops to promote their election campaign on Facebook, Twitter. (Yediot Ahronot)
* Haifa Strike Escalates as Teachers Union Joins In: Haifa residents are in store for further disruptions as the Teachers Union joins the municipal workers strike on Friday, shutting down the city’s education institutions. The union said city schools will be closed today, due to the absence of sanitation services. The strike began on Wednesday, following Mayor Einat Kalisch-Rotem’s decision to dismiss 24 temporary sanitation workers. (Yediot Ahronot, Haaretz)
* Israel agrees to reopen economic agreements with Palestinians: Palestinian, international, and Israeli sources confirm that Israel has agreed in principle to a request by the Palestinian Authority (PA) to reconsider the Paris economic agreements signed by the PA and Israel in 1994. These agreements, which were an appendix to the Oslo Accords, have governed economic relations between Israel and the PA for the past 25 years. (Globes)
