The Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of Finance have approved budget additions for the Metronit project in Tirat Carmel and Haifa, adding to a total investment of approximately NIS 700 million.
 
Minister Regev: “We are providing residents of the North with fast and advanced public transportation that will significantly shorten travel times.”

As part of the work plan to accelerate strategic projects, the Ministry of Transportation and Road Safety and the Ministry of Finance have approved a significant budget addition of NIS 62 million for 2025 for the Metronit project in Tirat Carmel (DP4). In addition, a supplementary budget of approximately NIS 4 million has been approved, bringing the total budgetary authorization for the Metronit in Tirat Carmel to close to NIS 179 million.

The approval of the additional budgets is a vital step towards completing the future transportation network in the Haifa and Carmel area, a project with a total estimated cost of approximately NIS 700 million, carried out by Cross Israel Ltd.

The Metronit, whose new lines span approximately ten kilometers, is expected to create a fast transportation continuum connecting Tirat Carmel and Haifa West to commercial, employment, and leisure centers, including direct access to Sammy Ofer Stadium.

The works, which are already underway, include paving dedicated priority lanes, constructing 30 new and advanced stations equipped with real-time information displays, and implementing technological infrastructure for traffic light priority. Alongside these, the project upgrades the urban space through illuminated bicycle paths, new sidewalks, and extensive landscape development.

Minister of Transportation and Road Safety, Maj. Gen. (res.) Miri Regev: “The Metronit project in the Haifa metropolitan area and its expansion to Tirat Carmel is an integral part of the ‘Connecting Israel’ vision. We are creating an innovative and accessible mass transit system that will allow every resident in the North to reach their destination quickly and comfortably, without dependence on private vehicles. This move, alongside the transportation justice revolution we are leading, will save precious time and lead to a significant improvement in the quality of life for the residents of the area.”

Director-General of the Ministry of Transportation and Road Safety, Moshe Ben Zaken: “The Ministry of Transportation is committed to strengthening transportation accessibility and reducing the cost of living for all citizens of Israel. The expanded Metronit will provide an efficient transportation solution that will ease traffic congestion and save the public valuable time in traffic jams. We are closely monitoring the progress of the works on the ground and are working to complete the project as soon as possible for the benefit of public transportation passengers in the North.”

Director-General of Cross Israel, Dan Shenbach: “The budget addition for upgrading and expanding the Metronit lines is a significant step in advancing the transportation project array that Cross Israel is leading in the Haifa metropolitan area. The project joins a series of strategic projects that the company is promoting in the north of the country, which together create a fast, safe, and efficient transportation continuum and strengthen the connectivity between employment, study, and leisure centers, and between all existing and future transportation modes in the area.”

The Tax Authority filed three serious indictments against five defendants, residents of East Jerusalem, as well as against three companies owned by them, for committing offenses of distributing and offsetting fictitious invoices and deducting input tax without invoices, in a cumulative tax amount of over 100 million NIS. 

The fictitious invoices were distributed in the construction and manpower sectors in order to enable others to evade or avoid paying taxes. The offsetting companies included the fictitious invoices they received from the defendants in their books and unlawfully deducted input tax based on them, in amounts of tens of millions of NIS. 

The indictments were filed by Adv. Abd Al-Qader Lambasher from the National Legal Department, Criminal, Tel Aviv, following an investigation by the Customs and VAT Investigations Department in jerusalem.  

From the first indictment against defendants Raed Al-Nawaj’a and Muhammad Al-Nawaj’a, father and son, it appears that the father acted to distribute 722 fictitious invoices from five companies under his control in the amount of over 118 million NIS, and also offset 175 invoices in three companies in the amount of over 48 million NIS. His son, Muhammad Al-Nawaj’a, acted to distribute 263 fictitious invoices from two companies under his control in a total amount of over 32 million NIS, and also offset 103 fictitious invoices in a total amount of over 23 million NIS. 

Another indictment against defendant Ali Othman states that the defendant acted together with others to distribute 129 fictitious tax invoices from a company registered in his name totaling over 13 million NIS. This indictment states that another defendant, Alaa Dakkak, acted together with others to distribute 55 tax invoices from a company registered in his name totaling over 17 million NIS. The two defendants in this indictment acted together with the defendants in the aforementioned indictment. 

The third indictment, against Muhammad Farouk Hamidat, who acted together with the other defendants mentioned above, states that he acted to distribute 275 invoices from three companies, the first registered in his name and the other two registered in the names of others. In addition, the defendant offset 72 invoices in the company registered in his name in the amount of over 25 million NIS. The defendant also distributed another 184 fictitious invoices from companies registered in the names of defendants Ali Othman and Alaa El-Din Dakkak in the amount of over 78 million NIS. 
 

Jerusalem, 11 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israeli AI-driven drug discovery company CytoReason has expanded its collaboration with French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi for the third time, under a new multi-year agreement valued at up to $16 million. Announced from Tel Aviv, the deal marks CytoReason’s fifth commercial agreement of 2025 and further strengthens its growing footprint among global pharma leaders.

CytoReason’s technology uses advanced computational disease models to help R&D teams extract actionable insights from molecular and clinical data, accelerating decision-making across drug development programs. The company, backed by U.S.-based investors including NVIDIA, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Pfizer, works with roughly half of the world’s top 20 pharmaceutical companies.

Jerusalem, 11 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israeli medical device company Butterfly Medical announced the successful completion of its pivotal international trial for the Butterfly Prostatic Retraction Device, a minimally invasive treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland.

The 244-patient study, conducted in Boston and Yokneam, Israel, confirmed the device’s safety and efficacy in restoring urinary flow without surgery. The CE Mark-approved implant is now positioned for a U.S. FDA pre-market approval application. Butterfly Medical’s device offers an alternative for men dissatisfied with medication but seeking to avoid invasive surgery, potentially reshaping global BPH care.

Jerusalem, 11 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israeli technology firm SuperCom has won a second electronic monitoring contract in Texas within weeks of entering the U.S. state. The Tel Aviv-based company said a juvenile probation agency selected SuperCom to replace its existing monitoring provider and deploy its GPS tracking solution and proprietary supervision platform. The agreement follows a recurring revenue model based on active daily units. The company is now active in 16 U.S. states, alongside continued international growth.

Jerusalem, 11 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — During an operational activity by an IDF (Israel Defense Forces) unit in the city of Shechem (Nablus), an Israeli soldier was moderately wounded as a result of gunfire directed at the unit.

The soldier was taken to the hospital for medical treatment, and his family was notified.

IDF forces began a pursuit of the terrorist who fired on the soldiers.

Jerusalem, 8 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Following the rising violence and crime in Arab society, President Isaac Herzog convened the heads of the Negev authorities for an emergency discussion.

The conference is taking place against the backdrop of the “New Order” police operation, which was born as part of the fight against violence and crime in Arab society, and it emphasizes significant enforcement and an increased police presence in Bedouin communities in the Negev.

The purpose of the conference is to jointly examine the solution to the issue of the lack of a sense of security for both Jewish and Arab residents in the Negev, and to hear the voices of elected officials in the Negev in all its forms.

“The situation in the Negev is a national emergency. It is impossible that since the beginning of January, 11 Arab citizens have been murdered in the State of Israel,” said Herzog. Stop and think about this number, 11 citizens! This is an unimaginable figure. This is a national disaster and a national challenge. The Arab citizens of Israel are entitled to live in complete security, just like their Jewish brothers and sisters. Israeli law must apply in all authorities, and it is our duty not only to establish it, but also to enforce it.”

Jerusalem, 8 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Approximately 750 military reservists are expected to participate in programs for artificial intelligence leaders in the high-tech industry organized by Israel’s Innovation Authority, Department for Demobilized and Reserve Soldiers at the Ministry of Defense, and Ministry of Labor.

“This is a move aimed at strengthening reservists and discharged soldiers who played a central role in the national effort, reducing knowledge and experience gaps that arose following prolonged absence from work during the war, and training them to lead in the adoption and integration of artificial intelligence tools in research and development processes in organizations,” said the Ministry of Labor.

The move, in which six programs on the subject of artificial intelligence were selected, is intended to strengthen reservists and allow them to bridge knowledge gaps created by prolonged absence from work, especially in the rapidly developing fields of artificial intelligence.
Providing up-to-date and practical tools will allow reservists in core technological roles to lead innovative projects, streamline processes, and strengthen the resilience and productivity of Israeli high-tech.

It is also intended to reduce the employment concerns reported among experienced workers in light of the accelerated penetration of artificial intelligence tools into the labor market.

Jerusalem, 8 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israel’s Ministry of Environmental Protection has approved financial support and professional guidance totaling approximately 16.7 million Shekels ($5.2 million) to strengthen their preparedness for climate change for 11 Arab local authorities, including Rahat, Umm el-Fahm, Raineh, Arabeh, and Kasifa,.

This call will help authorities plan and plant trees and promote shading solutions as part of their preparation for the warming of urban spaces. Trees are essential green infrastructure that reduces heat loads, contributes to public health and improved quality of life, and stimulates local economic activity.

The funds will also be used for adding green roofs combined with photovoltaic panels.

“Climate change brings with it direct challenges to the daily lives of all residents of the State of Israel, extreme events such as floods and extreme heat waves, which are expected to worsen in the coming decades,” said the Ministry. “The support is intended to help authorities prepare for heat waves, deal with the urban heat island phenomenon, and reduce emissions. All of this will be done through shading and cooling of public spaces, promoting renewable energy infrastructure in buildings, establishing drainage infrastructure, and strengthening community resilience.”