Israel Shield (Hebrew: מגן ישראל) is Israel's national program to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Spearheaded by the Ministry of Health, it is led by a "COVID czar," a position that, since June 2021, is held by Salman Zarka.[1][2] The institution of the program coincided with the absorption of the March 2020 Emergency directives to fight the Coronavirus into the July 2020 Special powers to deal with the new Coronavirus legislation (also known informally as the "Great Coronavirus Law").[3]