JERUSALEM, March 17 (Reuters) - Israel's health ministry urged people not to leave their homes except to seek "vital needs and services" in new directives issued on Tuesday.

"There should be no leaving home except for situations that would obligate it," the ministry said in a statement that listed exceptional circumstances such as critial services and seeking medical attention.

The directives cited parks, beaches and malls as off-limits. They said Israelis would be allowed to shop for food if they had no delivery options and would be allowed to exercise outdoors for 10 minutes if there was nobody nearby.

It was not immediately clear if the directives would be enforced by police. (Reporting by Stephen Farrell and Dan Williams)

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