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In the 11th Jan 26 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
l More Israelis now live in Gaza border communities than before Hamas invasion.
l Israel’s life-saving skin cancer treatment can now cure multiple myeloma.
l Israel boosts ties with Greece, Cyprus, Morocco, Chile, Honduras and Somaliland.
l Nvidia’s boss praised Israel for powering its global success.
l Israelis enjoy excellent employment prospects and inflation-beating salaries.
l Israeli basketball star enjoyed two major birthday presents.
l Grandchildren of US Ambassador to Israel discovered buried treasure.
· Click here to see the 28th Dec newsletter on (TY Steve) IsraelSeen, (TY Ruth) Ruthfully Yours, and (TY Peloni) IsraPundit. Also TY Barbara for translating the newsletter into Spanish here. TY Colin for translating it into German here, into French here, and into Hebrew here. Please forward this newsletter to Spanish-speaking, German-speaking, French-speaking and Hebrew-speaking contacts. Also please visit my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/verygoodnewsIL.
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POSITIVE NEWS IN A WAR
From captivity to happiness. (TY UWI) Former Gaza hostages Matan Zangauker and Ilana Gritzwesky have announced their engagement. Matan endured 738 days in Hamas captivity and was one of the last hostages to be released. Ilana survived 55 horrific days in Hamas captivity. They were abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz.
Former hostage’s concert is sold out. Tickets for the Feb 9 concert at Hangar 11 at Tel Aviv port, featuring recently released captive Alon Ohel, sold out within hours after the pianist announced the event on social media, underscoring the public response to his return and recovery.
More Israelis now live in Gaza envelope. Over 65,000 people now live in Israel’s Gaza border region, surpassing pre-Oct 7 2023 figures, as communities rebuild and new residents arrive. 62,000 residents were evacuated from the region after the Hamas invasion. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-881899
Helping Israeli orphans to heal. Marlene Kolangi founded “Israel Orphans of 10/7” to provide financial aid, therapy and support to children shattered by the events of Oct 7 2023. The charity supports 151 children with $500 to $750 Tav Hazahav gift cards per child each month, non-invasive play therapy, and personal contact.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/420149
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
How melanoma disables the immune system. A breakthrough Tel Aviv University study has discovered that melanoma cells release extracellular vesicles (EVs). These tiny bubble-like structures paralyze the immune cells (lymphocytes) that normally attack tumors. Blocking the EVs will allow the lymphocytes to kill the melanoma.
https://english.tau.ac.il/research/melanoma-hidden-mechanism
https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-881682
Cure for blood cancer. Doctors at Israel’s Rabin Medical Center have successfully deployed homegrown CAR-T therapy for multiple myeloma. The treatment was developed and manufactured at the Samueli Integrative Cancer Pioneering Institute. Israel diagnoses roughly 550 new cases of multiple myeloma each year.
https://www.jns.org/israeli-breakthrough-a-new-treatment-for-blood-cancer/
The master regulator of aging. Researchers at Bar-Ilan University have uncovered how the longevity-linked protein Sirt6 protects the body from age-related decline and disease. It boosts the body’s production of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) that supports wound healing, heart health and brain function.
https://www.jns.org/bar-ilan-university-scientists-show-protein-helps-drive-longevity/
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2514084122
Researching the brain and AI. Prof. Itzhak Fried is establishing a new research center at Reichman University in Herzliya. It will explore the “hybrid brain” – the interface between the human brain and AI, plus research into sleep and memory. It will also investigate free will, addictions, OCD, and how the senses can be bypassed.
New private hospital network. From 1st Jan, four Israeli medical centers will consolidate and operate as the Medica network. They are the NARA clinics, Haifa’s Elisha Hospital, Afula’s Rosen Medical Center and Tel Aviv’s Raphael Hospital. The aim is that 75% of its activity will come from the 4 Israeli health funds.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-new-private-hospital-network-launches-in-israel-1001530494
1 million+ calls to MDA. During 2025, Israeli emergency medical organization Magen David Adom deployed an ambulance every 22 seconds, in response to a total of 1,383,026 calls. MDA’s 39,200 EMTs, paramedics and volunteers treated 71,736 casualties in 2025, up 6% from 2024. Plus MDA training, blood drives, and more.
\https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-881856
Celebrating 1,000 medical volunteers. United Hatzalah celebrated nearly 1,000 ambulance and emergency drivers at a heartfelt night in Airport City, honoring their tireless, life-saving work across Israel.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/watch-united-hatzalah-hosts-mega-event-for-1000-selfless-volunteers/
The first baby of 2026. The first baby born in Israel in 2026 arrived at Hadassah Hospital Mount Scopus in the capital at 1 minute past midnight. The baby (a boy) is the fifth child for Shira-Leah and Uri Rozman from Dolev in Samaria. https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/first-baby-born-in-israel-in-2026-welcomed-in-jerusalem-hospital/ https://www.dolev.info/inner/51
Saving children from Somaliland. As the anti-Israel bandwagon attacks Israel for recognizing Somaliland, Israeli humanitarian medical nonprofit Save a Child’s Heart (SACH) reports it has saved the lives 49 children from Somaliland since 2004. It includes 19 from 2025 and 20 from 2024. No other country seems to care.
https://www.jns.org/israeli-charity-brings-life-saving-heart-care-to-children-from-somaliland/
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Big increase in Haredi IDF enlistment. 537 men from the ultra-Orthodox sector enlisted in the Dec-Jan cohort for haredi tracks in the army, many joining IDF combat units. Others have enrolled in a course incepted by the Ma'alot Tzur association, to be trained as IDF welfare officers, and serve soldiers from the haredi community.
https://worldisraelnews.com/growing-number-of-ultra-orthodox-men-joining-idf-combat-units-report/
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/420386 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/420390
https://malot.org/ https://worldisraelnews.com/record-number-of-haredim-enlist-in-idf/
1st Arab Muslim Israeli border police commander. (TY WIN) Yasser Hadaya Asadi declared, “The sky is the limit” on receiving the rank of deputy commissioner in Israel’s border police. He will lead the Adumim battalion, helping secure the Jerusalem envelope, bringing with him three decades of operational experience.
https://www.jns.org/arab-muslim-makes-history-as-israel-border-police-unit-commander/
East Med allies increase ties. Israel, Greece, and Cyprus have signed a new trilateral military cooperation work plan for 2026, further deepening security ties among the three eastern Mediterranean partners. It includes joint military exercises and training, working groups across multiple domains, and ongoing strategic dialogue.
https://worldisraelnews.com/eastern-mediterranean-allies-formalize-expanded-military-cooperation/
Israel and Morocco begin defense coordination. Israel and Morocco have agreed on a joint military work plan for 2026. It was formalized during the Joint Military Committee, in Tel Aviv that coincided with five years since Jerusalem and Rabat normalized relations under the Abraham Accords.
Indigenous Chileans visit Israel. A delegation from Chile recently visited Israel for the first time. It included Ivan Enrique Pardes Pichinao, the President of the indigenous Kupal Pichinao Mapuche community. They were also persecuted by the Spanish as heretics in the late 15th century and now share a spiritual bond with Israel.
https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-882115
Look who is Honduras’ new president. National Party’s Nasry Asfura won Honduras’ Presidential election. He is the son of Christian Arabs who emigrated from British mandate Palestine in the 1940s. Asfura told Israeli Foreign Minister Sa’ar that he wished to strengthen ties with Israel.
Israelis in Muslim Somaliland. Rabbi Yosef Garmon was warned by many to take off his skullcap when visiting Somaliland, but when he reached Hargeisa, the rabbi was greeted by crowds yelling “Am Yisrael Chai,” (“The Jewish People Live)”. And read what Somaliland’s envoy to the USA, and Israeli journalists say.
https://worldisraelnews.com/rabbi-greeted-by-muslim-crowds-in-somaliland-with-israeli-flags-chants-of-am-israel-chai-the-jewish-people-lives/ https://www.jns.org/israel-was-always-on-our-side-somaliland-envoy-in-washington-says/ https://worldisraelnews.com/watch-israeli-journalists-travel-to-the-newly-recognized-somaliland-for-the-first-time/
Hypocritical Colombia deploys Israeli defense system. Colombia's anti-Israel President Gustavo Petro accused Israel of genocide but has continued the strategic integration process of Israel Aerospace Industries Barak MX air defense systems, which won a $131.2 million tender in 2022. “Business is Business”, I suppose.
https://www.jpost.com/defense-and-tech/article-881450
Iran’s leader-in-waiting visits Israel. (TY Sharon) While we watch events in Iran unfold, Israel had an important visitor - Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s former leader, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Israel has many grass-roots supporters inside Iran.
https://rjstreets.com/2026/01/04/jerusalem-as-the-new-year-2026-begins/
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rk1hcaokbg https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-882138
https://www.jns.org/netanyahu-israel-backs-iranian-protest-movement/
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Nvidia’s almost all-Israeli supercomputer. At CES 2026 in Las Vegas, Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang unveiled a supercomputer based on its next-generation AI Rubin platform. Its six microchips, all have an Israeli pedigree. Huang said Israel’s Mellanox made Nvidia the biggest communications company in the world.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-nvidia-ceo-presents-almost-all-israeli-supercomputer-1001531202
More Druze and Circassians for tech industry. Israel is launching a NIS 15 million government initiative to promote technological entrepreneurship within Druze and Circassian society. Two innovation centers in the north of Israel will connect aspiring entrepreneurs to high-tech companies, academia, investors, and mentors.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/article-881680
Connected drones. Israel’s Eyesatop is reshaping drone tactics and emergency response with a synchronized system for multiple drones to be operated simultaneously. Fight fires, deliver supplies, avoid ambushes, or protect crowds (e.g. Bondi beach). Eyesatop provides a huge range of tactical options in complex scenarios.
https://worldisraelnews.com/watch-how-this-israeli-startup-is-improving-drone-technology/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeMy5oBQwf0 https://eyesatop.io/
Israel’s first vertiport. Israel’s first vertiport for electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, or eVTOLs, will be built at Tel Aviv’s Atidim Park. It will initially serve medical drone deliveries with aviation authority approval, as the city prepares within three years for electric air taxis aimed at easing chronic traffic congestion.
https://www.ynetnews.com/tech-and-digital/article/bylxwp4nbl
Protecting Israel’s borders. Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has successfully demonstrated an innovative system to protect Israel’s borders. It is based on intelligence-gathering using sensors and the most advanced AI in the field. Weapons near the border area are deployed autonomously, but remotely managed by the IDF.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-israel-aerospace-unveils-border-protection-system-1001531327
Space lab launched. Israel has launched a national space lab (at ground level) to lower barriers for domestic satellite, space tech development. Backed by NIS 60 million, Israel’s new Access to Space lab will offer discounted launch, testing, and in‑orbit services to accelerate space innovation.
https://www.jpost.com/defense-and-tech/article-881570
Turning rubble into revenue. Israeli company Rom, part of the Luzon Group, has developed Morphit, which produces strong and durable construction materials from mixed building debris. The technology was developed by Israeli companies Practical Innovation, the Plastics and Rubber Center, together with the Shenkar College.
https://www.ynetnews.com/tech-and-digital/article/sjaeoms411g
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Average wage rises 4.6%. The average wage for Israeli workers in Nov 2025 was NIS 13,587 per month, up 4.6% from Nov 2024. During that period annual inflation was 2.4%. In the tech sector, the average monthly wage in Oct 2025 was NIS 32,479, up 5.1% compared to Oct 2024.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-average-wage-in-israel-up-46-in-november-1001531017
Strong jobs market. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held firm at 3% in Oct 25. Job vacancies climbed to 149,000, approaching levels last seen during the peak in mid-2022 and signaling renewed growth in Israel’s high-tech sector. https://www.jns.org/israel-job-market-strong-high-tech-shows-signs-of-rebound/
The most startup investment since 2022. Israeli startups raised over $1.6 billion in Dec 2025, marking the strongest funding month since 2022. https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/hyiso2xvwl
Top “Unicorn” university. (TY TPS) A Stanford University study has found that undergraduate studies at Tel Aviv University dramatically increase the likelihood of becoming a founder of a billion-dollar startup. 260% more likely than if they didn’t study at TAU. It was the highest recorded among all universities examined.
Germany and India buy Israeli defense systems. The German army has ordered 200 new Puma armored personnel carriers equipped with MELLS systems, the German-Israeli variant of Rafael's Spike LR missiles. Meanwhile, India is buying 1,000 Rafael SPICE air-to-surface missiles.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-germany-to-equip-200-apcs-with-rafaels-spike-missiles-1001530835
International flights to Israel. More airlines have returned to Israel, including Air India which resumed non-stop flights between Tel Aviv and Delhi on 1st Jan. Meanwhile, Etihad airways is to operate a record six flights a day between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi. In 2025 300,000 passengers flew from Israel to Abu Dhabi.
The first direct flight from Israel to Vietnam. Israeli airline Arkia has inaugurated the first non-stop service from Tel Aviv to Vietnam. Arkia flies once a week to the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi, to become biweekly in March. https://worldisraelnews.com/arkia-launches-first-ever-flight-from-tel-aviv-to-vietnam/
Israeli whisky takes world by storm. Whiskey may be synonymous with Scotland and Ireland, but Israeli distillers are changing the narrative. As local producers launch new distilleries and export their spirits worldwide, Israeli whiskey is gaining unexpected international recognition.
https://worldisraelnews.com/watch-israeli-whiskey-takes-the-world-by-storm/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QFh3J7X6dY&t=200s
Investment news to 11th Jan 25: ACT Security raised $60 million; Spirit raised $50 million;
Exits, takeovers & mergers to 11th Jan 25: International flight booking giant Etraveli has acquired Israeli AI company Wenrix for at least $200 million. Israel’s Fireblocks has acquired Israel’s TRES Finance for approximately $130 million. Mobileye has acquired Israel’s Mentee Robotics for $900 million.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT,
Road construction reveals beautiful caves. (TY Kan 11 and AllIsraelNews.com) While carving a new road through Samaria, builders unexpectedly broke into a hidden, million-year-old underground world of breathtaking caves, rare formations, and unique life. It includes Israel’s deepest cave and a blind spider species.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em8bTehz_ss
Rain turns the Negev desert green. Heavy rains from the latest weather system filled the limans and runoff basins across several areas of the northern and western Negev, creating major changes in the landscape.
Israeli hoops star gets better and better. On his 25th birthday, Israeli basketball player Deni Avdija of the Portland Trail Blazers, notched a triple-double with 29 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists as his 9th-placed Portland Blazers beat 2nd-place San Antonio Spurs. Avdija won Western Conference’s Player of the Week.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/420403 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/NNL9MzuD6Qs
https://www.nba.com/blazers/news/deni-avdija-named-western-conference-player-of-the-week
THE JEWISH STATE
2nd Temple mikvah discovered under Western Wall. A rock-hewn mikveh (ritual purification bath) dating to the final days of the Second Temple period was discovered recently during excavations beneath the Western Wall Plaza. It bears ash remains that testify to the destruction of the Temple by the Romans.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/420058
Mike Huckabee’s grandchildren find ancient coins. US Ambassador Mike Huckabee was touring caves with his daughter, Sarah, and grandchildren, near Na’ale in Binyamin. The children had a metal detector and unearthed five ancient coins, possibly dating to the Bar Kokhba Revolt, or the Late Roman period.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/420467
Secrets revealed of the oldest Dead Sea scroll. The Great Isaiah Scroll, the oldest nearly complete book from the Hebrew Bible, dating back to the second century BCE, was originally created as two separate scrolls. The first 33 chapters were written on a different parchment to chapters 34 -70. And the scribes were different too.
Daylight visits to Joseph’s tomb. Until recently, Jewish worshipers were only allowed to visit the tomb of Biblical Joseph in Shechem (Nablus) at night and under strict military escort. In future, they can remain at the site until 8 a.m., marking a return to early morning access that has not been permitted since the early 2000s.
https://israfan.com/p/josephs-tomb-daylight-pilgrimage-approved
Increased Aliyah from North America. Many news outlets are saying that immigration to Israel has fallen. True, the flood of Russians and Ukrainians has slowed, but Aliya from North America is up 12% to a 4-year high of 4,150. Chief reasons are heightened feelings of Zionism and solidarity since the outbreak of the war.
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/byjynbgnzg#z
Prize for encouraging Aliyah. Rabbi Gershon Litt received the 2025 Jeffrey R. Solomon Prize. It recognizes an exceptional Jewish communal professional who has made a profound and lasting impact on the Jewish journeys of young adults on Birthright Israel trips and through his professional work.
https://www.jns.org/wire/rabbi-gershon-litt-receives-2025-jeffrey-r-solomon-prize/
Israelis are becoming more religious. A new survey by the Jewish People Policy Institute found 33% of Jewish Israelis ages 25 and under report observing more religious traditions since the war began. Among young Jews who identify as “traditional, somewhat religious,” 51% said they’ve increased religious practices.
https://www.jns.org/survey-war-spurs-religious-political-shift-among-young-israelis/
An Israeli liaison office in Damascus. Damascus is apparently open to a US-backed initiative to establish a joint security-military operations room aimed at stabilizing southern Syria and dismantling outlaw militias. Syria also does not object to Israel opening a liaison office (without diplomatic status) in Damascus.
How to help Israel. Here are some sites where newsletter readers can donate to Israeli organizations that provide vital help to Israelis at this difficult time. Many thanks to those who have already contributed and to those who are helping by donating their own valuable time and resources.
IDF Soldiers Fund in Israel: https://www.ufis.org.il/en/donation-en/ (Select the English speakers’ option)
American Friends of Magen David Adom (US donors): https://afmda.org/
or Magen David Adom (Israel): https://www.mdais.org/en/donation
Zaka (US donors): https://donate.zakatelaviv.org/give/525578/ or (Israeli donors): https://charidy.com/zaka
or (Canadian donors): https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/bellevue-foundation/
United Hatzalah: https://israelrescue.org/campaign/israel-at-war-2/ or Canada https://www.uhcanada.org/
Donate a medic bag, save a life https://israelrescue.org/campaign/medicbag/
Magen David Adom UK: https://mdauk.org
USA: https://afmda.org/
Israel: https://www.mdais.org/en/donation
Leket Food Israel: https://www.leket.org/en/
JNF USA - https://my.jnf.org/gaza-emergency/Donate or Canada https://jnf.ca/
Orthodox Union - https://www.charidy.com/ouisraelcrisis
Help rebuild Soroka: https://www.soroka.org/
And Weizmann: https://weizmann-usa.org/
Schneider Children’s Hospital: https://www.fos.org.il/en/donate (Israelis)
https://system.smartgiving.org.uk/charities/8530/make-donation (UK)
https://chaischneider.org/donate/ (USA)
Rambam Medical Center (Haifa) https://aforam.org/ways-to-give/ (US)
https://www.rambam.org.il/en/support_rambam/donate_now/ (Rest of the World)
Hadassah Hospital Israel: https://www.hadassah.org/
Laniado Hospital (Netanya) https://my.israelgives.org/en/fundme/EmergencyLaniado
Buy Israel Bonds to support the Jewish State. (TY Larry B)
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/state-of-israel-bonds
USA - https://www.israelbonds.com/
Europe - https://israelbondsintl.com/
Canada - https://www.israelbonds.ca/
