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Jerusalem, 20 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israel’s Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich signed an agreement to expand cheese import quotas by approximately 70%. The Ministry of Finance said the move will increase competition and lead to lower prices.

Dairy products in Israel are about 50% more expensive than the average in OECD countries, with hard cheese prices reaching twice the average, said the Ministry.

In light of these gaps, the minister decided on a dramatic move to increase the quotas for duty-free imports, with the aim of increasing competition and gradually reducing cheese prices for consumers.

According to the order signed by the minister, the duty-free quota will increase from 11,500 tons per year to 19,500 tons, an increase of 8,000 tons, which constitutes an increase of about 70% in the volume of exempt imports. The quota increase will take effect immediately and will be valid for two years, with the Minister of Finance retaining the authority to extend the order in accordance with market developments.

Jerusalem, 20 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Continuing efforts to advance the agreement to develop the joint natural gas reservoir between Israel and Cyprus, a professional delegation from the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, in cooperation with representatives of the Ministry of Justice, departed Tuesday evening for Cyprus. The Ministry said the rip is intended to continue negotiations to implement the agreements in principle regarding the Aphrodite-Yishay natural gas reservoir, and to anchor them in an intergovernmental agreement.

Within the framework of these agreements, the development of the reservoir will be carried out by the rights holders on the Cypriot side, while the holders of the Yishai lease and the State of Israel will receive compensation for their share in the reservoir, which will be determined by an international expert.

The delegation’s departure is a continuation of the political and professional contacts between the countries, and follows the meeting between the Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Eli Cohen, and his Cypriot counterpart, Michaelis Damianos, which took place in Jerusalem last month.

“The agreement is important for strengthening ties between the countries with a shared vision of developing shared natural resources,” said the Ministry. “Reaching agreements is expected to strengthen energy cooperation between the countries and Israel’s position in the regional space and even contribute to the ability to export gas from Cyprus to Egypt. In addition, reaching an agreement is expected to allow progress on other issues, such as the planned electricity cable between Israel and Cyprus.”

Jerusalem, 20 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics released the data on “National Accounts: Third Estimate for the Third Quarter of 2025.”

Third quarter of 2025 compared to second quarter of 2025 (seasonally adjusted change in annualized terms [ at market prices])

11.1% increase in GDP (2.7% quarterly)

13.2% increase in business GDP (3.1% quarterly)

21.4% increase in private consumption expenditure (5.0% quarterly)

34.5% increase in fixed asset investments (7.7% quarterly)

A 12.2% increase in exports of goods and services excluding start-ups and diamonds (2.9% quarterly)

A 4.5% increase in public consumption spending (1.1% quarterly)

A 12.8% increase in imports excluding defense imports, ships, aircraft and diamonds (3.1% quarterly)

The sharp increase in gross domestic product in the third quarter of 2025 reflects a significant increase in private consumption data, exports of goods and services, and investment in fixed assets after large declines in the second quarter of the year following the “Rising Lion” war.

Third quarter of 2025 compared to third quarter of 2024 (seasonally adjusted change in market prices)

3.0% increase in GDP

3.0% increase in business GDP

3.1% increase in private consumption spending

8.8% increase in fixed asset investments

A 4.2% increase in exports of goods and services excluding start-ups and diamonds

4.0% increase in public consumption spending

A 9.7% increase in imports excluding defense imports, ships, aircraft and diamonds

Jerusalem, 20 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) reported that during an operation in the southern Gaza Strip to clear the area its 188th Armored Brigade’s Combat Team located a shaft containing dozens of weapons used by terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip, including Kalashnikov-type weapons, RPGs, and cartridges..

Israeli forces continue to operate in the southern Gaza Strip to destroy terrorist infrastructure and clear the Yellow Line area.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to National defense College Trainees: “We are turning Israel into a regional power, and in some aspects, a global power. We need a very strong defense, independent production capacity, and to deepen our relative advantage.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, today, met with National Defense College trainees, including Brigadier Generals in the IDF and senior officials of the security services.

The Prime Minister reviewed the key decisions made throughout the War of Redemption that led to changing the face of the entire Middle East, and answered their questions.
 

Jerusalem, 20 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — As of July 2025, there were approximately 3.02 million residential apartments/housing units (herein after referred to as apartments) in Israel, an increase of 56,100 apartments compared to 2024, an increase of 1.9%. This is according to data released by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics.

Approximately 2.76 million apartments were in municipalities and local councils and 258,100 apartments were in regional councils.

In the last decade (2016-2025), there was an increase of approximately 19.6% in the number of apartments in municipalities and local councils, an addition of 452,500 residential apartments.

In 2025, the highest percentage of apartments was in the Central District (24.6% of all apartments) and the Tel Aviv District (19.5% of apartments), while the lowest percentage was in the Judea and Samaria region (3.2% of apartments).

The highest number of apartments was in Jerusalem – 251,885 (an increase of 2,578 apartments compared to 2024) followed by Tel Aviv-Yafo – 222,760 apartments (an increase of 3,309 apartments).

A significant increase in the number of apartments compared to 2024 was recorded in the localities of Be’er Ya’akov (10.9%), Gan Yavne (10.5%) and Mevaseret Zion (7.5%).

A high percentage of buildings with 41 or more apartments is found in the cities of Bat Yam and Ashdod (9.1% and 9.0%, respectively), Netanya (5.1%), Tel Aviv-Yafo (4.2%), and Ashkelon (3.8%). In contrast, in Hadera, Bnei Brak, Herzliya, Modi’in-Maccabim-Re’ut, and Beit Shemesh, the percentage of buildings with 41 or more apartments is less than two percent of all residential buildings in each city.

70.7% of the buildings in Be’er Sheva and 68.5% of the buildings in Ashkelon have 1-2 apartments.

The Ministry of Health reports a jackal infected with Rabies in the town of Kadita in the Upper Galilee. One person who was exposed to the jackal has been referred for preventive treatment against rabies. The notification about the infected jackal was received today, January 20, 2026.

We request that anyone who was in contact, or whose animals were in contact in the incident area with the infected animal or a stray animal, between the dates 03.01.2026 and 17.01.2026 inclusive, to urgently contact the Safed Health Bureau, telephone 04-6994257, 04-6994200, or the Health Bureau closest to their place of residence to consider receiving preventive treatment.

After working hours and during the weekend, please go to the emergency room at a hospital.

The Ministry of Health requests:

• Parents of children – inquire with their children if they have been in contact with suspicious animals and urgently contact the Health Bureau.
• Pet owners – contact the local veterinarian to verify their vaccination status.
• Disseminate information about the incident to travelers and vacationers in the area and in nearby towns.

The Ministry of Health reminds again that anyone bitten or scratched by an animal should immediately wash the area with running water and soap, disinfect with antiseptic agents, and go to the Health Bureau to check if preventive treatment against rabies is necessary.

• Guidelines after an injury by an animal suspected of having rabies

Jerusalem, 20 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — The High Court of Justice has accepted an appeal filed by ZAKA’s Legal Department, ruling that no autopsies will be conducted on the bodies of the two toddlers who died in a devastating Jerusalem daycare disaster. The appeal challenged an earlier decision by the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court. The families of three-month-old Leah Tzipora Golovnetsitz and six-month-old Aharon (Ari) Katz had objected to the autopsies on religious grounds.

Doctors at Israel’s Institute of Forensic Medicine estimated the likely cause of death was heatstroke and dehydration, possibly linked to an air conditioner set to unusually high heat in a closed room, though they stressed that a final determination has not been made.

Jerusalem, 20 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Tel Aviv-based cybersecurity firm Cyata has disclosed multiple security flaws in mcp-server-git, Anthropic’s official Git Model Context Protocol (MCP) server. The vulnerabilities, affecting versions prior to December 18, 2025, can be chained to enable remote code execution purely through prompt injection, without direct access to the target system.

Cyata cofounders Shahar Tal and Baruch Weizman warned that the flaws compromise trust boundaries in AI-assisted workflows and recommended immediate upgrades. The issues, reported to Anthropic in June 2025, were patched in December. The firm continues to lead research into AI agent security, highlighting risks in emerging agentic frameworks worldwide.