Jerusalem, 20 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israel’s Minister of Construction and Housing, Haim Katz, and Director General of the Ministry of Construction and Housing and the Authority and Deputy Director General of the Government Authority for Urban Renewal, Yehuda Morgenstern, held a roundtable with leading entrepreneurs last weekend that dealt with the challenges of implementing urban renewal projects and ways to remove barriers that hinder their progress.

During the meeting, an open and in-depth discussion took place, in which the entrepreneurs pointed out key barriers that hinder the implementation of the projects, including: the issue of the reluctant tenant, the lack of economic viability as a result of land values, high implementation costs, the effects of the interest environment, the involvement of the Housing and Housing Authority in some projects, difficulties in development agreements, the method of collecting improvement levies, and general price increases in the industry. Alongside this, proposals for possible regulatory and planning solutions were presented.

The Director General of the Ministry of Construction and Housing and Deputy Head of the Governmental Authority for Urban Renewal, Yehuda Morgenstern, noted that there are over 100,000 housing units in approved plans that have not yet been realized into building permits, mainly in the center of the country, due to a damage to economic viability in light of the increase in construction costs.

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.

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 Israel Police foiled a planned murder attempt in Lod as arrested five people involved in the attempted murder said to have been planned following a blood feud were arrested.

The arrest came after police neutralized an armed suspect, and two others were detained for questioning. Another suspect was injured during the conflict as a result of the shooting between the perpetrators and was also taken to receive medical treatment.

Lod is a mixed Arab and Jewish low-income city in central Israel know as a center for criminal organizations.

In december 2025, the Supreme Court issued a ruling relevant to the matter of competitive vehicles. The main point of the ruling is that any competitive vehicle, as defined in the Sports Driving Law, which has been duly licensed as a competitive vehicle, is not a motor vehicle as defined in the Torts Ordinance.

A person driving a competitive vehicle in violation of the law should know that they are endangering themselves by bearing the full costs for any damage that may be caused, to person or property.

The ministry emphasized improving service to local authorities and strengthening cooperation between the ministry’s various units.

The ministry held a Design Thinking workshop, focused on the customer experience of local authorities. In addition, a professional panel was held, moderated by Shira Goldberg, Acting Senior Director of Strategy, with senior managers in the ministry, Anat Hannah Lanksner, Director of the Local Government Administration, Nadav Lachman Lazar, Director of the Economic Development Administration, Dror Soroka, Haifa District Commissioner and Acting Northern District Commissioner, and Yehuda Zemeret, Legal Advisor to the Ministry of Interior. The panel dealt with the topic of turning work plans into reality. Following this, a personal, down-to-earth interview was held with the Director General of the Ministry, Israel Ozana, moderated by Tami Nassa, Commissioner for Judea and Samaria.

The Director General of the Ministry of Interior, Mr. Israel Ozana, emphasized the importance of planning even in a complex reality: “Planning is the key to success. Not all planning is implemented – but without planning, nothing is implemented. As it is said: ‘Where there is no vision, the people perish.’ 

cooperation between units is not an ‘added value’ – it is a condition for success. When units manage to work together and present a unified concept, it indicates serious professional work. We are one organization, with shared responsibility.”

Shira Goldberg, Acting Director of the Senior Strategy Department: “During the conference, ministry employees practiced their ability to provide service and step into the shoes of local authorities. Likewise, from the analysis of successful reforms, it can be learned that agreements between regulators are a decisive factor for success, especially when the reforms are complex and generate opposition. As a conclusion – this year we placed a great emphasis on cooperation at the conference and in the implementation of work plans in 2026.”