Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said that Israel will contribute $60 million at a EU-led donors conference aimed at fighting the coronavirus outbreak.

"Defeating the global pandemic demands a global partnership," Netanyahu told the conference. "That's why I want to commend EU President Ursala von der Leyen for bringing together countries from around the world to combat the coronavirus."

"Israel, like all countries, has been greatly affected by it. Fortunately, our casualties thus far have been relatively low. This has been the result of early action to contain the disease, advanced technology to locate those infected, first-rate medical professionals, and a disciplined population that largely adhered to the mitigation policies enacted by our government," he said.

"But as we all know, the corona epidemic is far from over. At best, we're only at the end of the beginning. And like all countries, Israel is now trying to find the right balance between protecting the health of our citizens by preventing another spike in infections, and enabling the reopening of our economy.

"But ultimately, to ensure the public health and national prosperity, we must all work together on improving diagnostics, accelerating therapies, and ultimately developing a vaccine. I am confident that Israel's leading research institutions, its world-renowned scientists, and our unique culture of innovation, can enable us to play an important role in advancing solutions on all three fronts.

"And that is why Israel is pledging today $60 million to these efforts. We hope to work with other countries to leverage our unique capabilities to find solutions for the benefit of all," the prime minister concluded.