The National Bookkeeping Unit of the Israel Tax Authority conducted a targeted enforcement operation in the central region, during which audits were carried out at 41 businesses in the cities of Raanana, Ramat Gan, and Herzliya. Of the 41 businesses inspected, 18 were found to have failed to record income.

The operation included test purchases conducted undercover in some of the businesses. The operation targeted businesses across a variety of sectors: greengrocers, hardware stores, beauticians, lawyers, kiosks, and restaurants.

Among other cases, an audit was conducted at a greengrocer in Ramat Gan, where it was discovered that the business owner received 7,900 NIS from two customers and failed to record it in the business books, noting it only in a debtors’ ledger.

In another instance, an audit was conducted at a hair salon in Ramat Gan, which included a test purchase and an inspection of the owner’s mobile payment application. The audit revealed that the owner did not record the test purchase and also failed to record income of 1,000 NIS received via the mobile payment app. When questioned, the owner replied: “Regarding the 1,000 NIS, I wanted to give the service as a gift to the customer, but she insisted on paying and transferred it via Bit. As for the unrecorded test purchase, I have no idea why it wasn’t recorded.”

The National Bookkeeping Unit will continue to operate at any time and place to enforce the provisions of the law through routine activities and special operations, as part of the Israel Tax Authority’s extensive efforts against the “black economy” and tax evaders. This is part of a policy to increase enforcement to improve and maintain deterrence, aimed at ensuring truthful reporting and the collection of lawful tax, thereby increasing the equality of the tax burden among citizens.

Jerusalem, 21 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Tel Aviv-based fintech Datarails announced a $70 million Series C funding round led by UK growth investor One Peak, bringing total investment to $175 million. The company’s AI-native platform, designed to unify CFO workflows while keeping Excel at the center, saw 70% revenue growth in 2025 and nearly doubled its workforce to over 400 globally.

CEO Didi Gurfinkel said the funding will accelerate expansion across North America and EMEA, boost R&D, and explore acquisitions. “AI is the great equalizer for finance teams,” Gurfinkel said, noting the platform now powers predictive forecasting, spend control, and month-end close.

Jerusalem, 21 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israeli troops in central Gaza struck several Hamas operatives operating a Drone in a way that posed a threat to the soldiers on Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces said.

The IDF added that it is examining the incident.

The Commissioner of Competition announced today 21.1.26 to Shufersal Ltd. her decision to impose a financial penalty on it amounting to over NIS 8 million.

The decision was made after the Commissioner considered the claims raised by Shufersal in the hearing held for it, and decided to reject them.

The data request was sent to Shufersal, as well as to other companies in the food industry, as part of a study aimed at examining the cost and price structure in the food industry in Israel.

 The information provided did not include the required data, particularly Shufersal’s operational expenses. Despite clarifications and repeated appeals from the Authority‘s representatives, Shufersal insisted that the requested information was not available. It eventually turned out that the data existed, and it was provided to the Authority. Therefore, after examining Shufersal’s claims, the Commissioner of Competition decided to impose the financial penalty.

The Commissioner of Competition has the legal authority to request data in accordance with Section 46(b) of the Economic Competition Law. Receiving complete, accurate, and timely data is critically important to the work of the Competition Authority, both in relation to enforcement proceedings undertaken by the Competition Authority, in relation to examining the implications of mergers and transactions for which approval is sought, and in relation to market studies conducted by the Competition Authority.

Non-cooperation from entities required to respond to data requests may harm the reliability of the findings and conclusions derived from the Authority’s examinations, impede its work, and harm the broader public interest.

The Competition Authority will continue to act decisively to ensure that all required data is provided fully, reliably, and accurately, and will take enforcement measures against entities that violate the law.

The Ashdod Magistrate’s Court imposed a lengthy prison sentence and a fine on Amir Bar Lev Alon (Partok), an Ashkelon resident who was convicted, based on his confession and a plea bargain, of committing a wide range of severe tax offenses.

According to the sentence, the defendant was convicted of 42 offenses of issuing tax invoices without being entitled to issue them, 4 offenses of failing to submit a periodic VAT report on time, and 6 offenses of deducting input tax without a tax invoice. The scope of tax withheld from the state treasury as a result of his actions totals approximately  5.7 million NIS, with no amount of the missing tax having been returned by the time of sentencing.

The court determined that these were offenses that severely harmed the public coffer, the principle of equality in bearing the tax burden, and public trust in the general system; it was also noted that the defendant has a prior conviction for tax offenses.

Alongside this, the court also considered personal circumstances, including the defendant’s economic and family situation, but ruled that they were insufficient to justify a substantial reduction in the sentence given the severity and scope of the actions.

The sentence reflects, in the court’s words, the sentencing policy for severe tax offenses, and is intended to convey a clear message of zero tolerance toward intentional harm to the public coffer.

The case was prepared and managed by Adv. Nofar Hen Malu’i and Adv. Noy Okman Saban from the Ashdod Regional VAT Legal Department.

The National Bookkeeping Unit of the Tax Authority conducted a focused enforcement operation in the Central region, during which inspections were carried out at 41 businesses in the cities of Ra’anana, Ramat Gan, and Herzliya. Of the 41 businesses inspected, it was found that 18 did not record income. 

The operation included surprise spot checks conducted covertly at some of the businesses. It included businesses from a variety of sectors: greengrocers, hardware stores, beauticians, lawyers, convenience stores, and restaurants. 

Among other things, an inspection was conducted at a greengrocer in Ramat Gan, where it was discovered that the business owner received a sum of ₪7,900 from two customers and did not record it in the business’s books, but only in a debtors’ ledger. 

In another case, an inspection was conducted at a hair salon in Ramat Gan, during which a spot check purchase was made and the owner’s mobile payment app was examined. The inspection found that the business owner did not record the spot check purchase, nor did she record an income of ₪1,000 received via the mobile payment app. When asked about it, the business owner replied that “Regarding the ₪1,000, I wanted to give the work as a gift to the customer, and she insisted on paying and transferred it to me via Bit. Regarding the spot check purchase that was not recorded, I have no idea why it wasn’t recorded.” 

The National Bookkeeping Unit will continue to operate anywhere and at any time to enforce the provisions of the law on an ongoing basis and in operations as part of the Tax Authority‘s extensive activity against the black market and tax evaders. This is within the framework of the policy to increase enforcement activities to improve and maintain deterrence, with the aim of achieving true reporting and true tax collection, thereby increasing the equality of the burden among citizens.

By: Kobi Arieli Israel Hayom 01/21/2026

Not many have a friend like this, but I do: He serves as the director of a burial society. Every time we meet, I tell him he inspires thoughts of repentance in me. There is a saying in the Talmud: “He shall remind him of the day of death.” What is more reminiscent of the day of death than a person from the burial society? This is what I felt not long ago when I stood before him and twenty others like him, the management teams of burial societies in Jerusalem, who had gathered for a professional conference on behalf of the Cemetery Council.

What I felt there, and also told them, went far beyond jokes about the day of death. What I saw before my eyes was the beginning of a revolution, and what I told them related to the continuation of this revolution. The revolution is a service revolution.

The role of service providers in this sensitive field is incredibly complex and intricate. They meet with the service recipients at their most charged and most difficult moments.

It is clear that they need to be very sensitive and very professional, but that is the public’s concern and the concern of the ministry that employs them.

I am interested in the additional role of people like them, an issue related to all religious service providers, which is their being the ultimate representatives of Judaism and religion in the eyes of a vast portion of their clients.

There are many Israeli Jews, even those who are not religious, who encounter religion in various forms and levels in their daily lives.

They are a little religious, they are traditional, they have religious family members, they live next to a synagogue, they are interested in Torah study, they are friends with Chani and Chizki from the Chabad House in Kathmandu, they are insurance agents specializing in the damage of parokhot, they are architects of mikvahs. There are many. Many more than it seems.

But there are many Israeli Jews who have no connection at all. And even of this type, there are many more than it seems. And for them, the encounter with religion and, to a large extent, with God, is reduced to the mohel who circumcises, the rabbi who marries, the gravedigger who buries, and a few more kashrut supervisors and mikvah attendants along the way. These are men and women who routinely do what they do five times a week for over thirty years, and have long forgotten that besides being professionals, they are also the ultimate representatives of God in the story.

And their smile, their language, and their integrity can forever determine in the heart of the person facing them not only their own image or that of the organization that sent them, but the image of the Torah of Israel and the religion of Israel, and essentially that of the Master of the Universe himself.

The truth is, one shouldn’t need to resort to this. A public servant should perform their duty faithfully regardless of anything.

And what I saw at the conference indicated comprehensive professionalization stemming from great investment, and I am truly proud and happy to report on it; I merely note that beyond the general matter, there is here a Jewish mission of the most sublime kind.

Religious public servants, if there is God in their hearts, are obligated to much higher standards. In their own eyes, they are just clerks, workers, and perhaps hard-working inspectors.

But in reality, they are the vanguard of the state‘s Jewish identity.

Source: https://www.israelhayom.co.il/opinions/article/19723938

The Eilat-Eilot Sustainable Energy Conference 2026, which began today, is being held for the 11th year in Eilat and the Eilot region. The conference serves as the central discussion forum for Israel’s energy sector. The conference brings together decision-makers, senior government and regulatory officials, local authority heads, industry leaders, investors, and researchers to shape the future of Israel’s energy sector.

Yossi Dayan, Director General of the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure: “I stood here two years ago, when I took office, and there was a demand to close down the Chief Scientist’s office in the Ministry of Energy. I committed that on my watch, this would not happen – and it did not happen, and it will not happen. On the contrary, we have increased the budgets for the Chief Scientist and support budgets, and in the past year, we supported 19 startup companies and established AI innovation centers. In parallel, 2025 was the first year in which electricity production from renewable energies surpassed electricity production from coal and fuel oil in Israel. renewable energy is no longer just an environmental goal – it is an economic engine and the backbone of energy security, which proved itself during the heatwaves and emergencies of the past year. The goal of 20% renewable energy by 2026 is already on the horizon, and we are working to accelerate dual-use and agri-voltaic facilities.”

The Eilat-Eilot Sustainable Energy Conference 2026 includes dozens of professional sessions, a technology exhibition, B2B meetings, and tours focusing on advanced energy solutions being implemented in the Eilat-Eilot region – Israel’s pioneering area in renewable energy.

For the full list of speakers and the conference program. 

Jerusalem, 21 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israeli police seized nearly 14 kg of hashish in the Bedouin village of Laqiya during an operation targeting suspected drug trafficking and distribution.

Police officials said the value of the hashish was NIS 300,000 ($94,000).