In the 23td Aug 2026 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
l See the resilience of a wounded and maimed IDF soldier.
l Four Israeli breakthrough cancer treatments.
l Female Israeli ex-pilot breaks the glass ceiling to become Brigadier General.
l 80-member Israeli rescue team is searching for survivors in Colombia.
l An Israeli app makes real-time translation possible for those with impaired speech.
l Another billion-dollar Israeli defense system sold to a European country.
l Israeli technology will revolutionize international currency exchange.
l Israelis punch far above their weight at international sports.
l Nefesh b’Nefesh has helped 100,000 Jews make Aliyah from North America.
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POSITIVE NEWS IN A WAR
Critically wounded reservist graduates with honors. Alon Kaminer lost his hands, a leg and an eye while defending Israel. Despite more than 100 surgeries he continued to study and graduated with honors from Tel Aviv University in Industrial Engineering and Management.
https://english.tau.ac.il/news/alon-kaminer-refused-to-press-pause
Former hostage performs music written in captivity. Former hostage Guy Dekel Chen performed the musical album he wrote and composed while in captivity, for a crowd of 3,000 showcasing his resilience in turning trauma into hope.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/watch-former-hostage-performs-musical-album-written-in-captivity/
Hero’s sons enlist in father’s battalion. 20 years after Major Roi Klein fell in Bint Jbeil, saving his men, his eldest son Gilad enlisted in his father's Golani 51st Battalion alongside his younger brother. Their mother had to sign a special waver, as orphans of fallen IDF soldiers are not compelled to enlist in combat units.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431503
450 lone soldiers made Aliyah this year. This summer, a historic wave of 450 brave lone soldiers officially made Aliyah to Israel, leaving behind their native countries to serve in the IDF. Approximately 235 individuals originated from North America, with 180 coming from the United States and 55 from Canada.
https://idfclub.org/an-incredible-450-lone-soldiers-made-aliyah-this-summer/
Financial guidance for soldiers in need. The IDF, the Bank of Israel, and nonprofits have launched a financial education program to ease the burden of financial difficulties and debt as young men and women transition from military service into the workforce. It aims to support about 4,500 soldiers over the next three years.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-905565
Resilience Ice Cream. (TY Hazel) Ben & Jerry’s Israel, which split from its US counterpart after a contentious 2021 boycott fight, has produced “Milk & Honey Ice Cream” – its “most Israeli flavor ever”. On its website, it calls it a “symbol of hope, rehabilitation, and positive action” after the Hamas-led Oct. 7 2023 attack.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/ben-jerrys-israel-debuts-flavor-celebrating-local-resilience/
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Blood test to diagnose lung cancer. (TY TPS, WIN & JNS) Israeli scientists have developed a blood test that is over 90% accurate at diagnosing lung cancer. Instead of genetic sequencing, it identifies the tumor’s chemical ‘fingerprint’ with light, using a technology that can be implemented in standard clinical laboratories.
https://tautrust.org/simple-blood-test-on-a-chip-could-help-diagnose-lung-cancer/
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41698-026-01547-2
Ovarian cancer treatment breakthrough. (TY Hazel) Scientists at Israel’s Weizmann Institute have paved the way for a vaccine against ovarian cancer. It utilizes “memory B cells”, rather than T cells, to tag the cancer as a target and produce antibodies that specifically recognize and target ovarian cancer cells.
https://www.thejc.com/news/israel/israeli-scientists-in-ovarian-cancer-vaccine-breakthrough-abt5k2k1
https://wis-wander.weizmann.ac.il/life-sciences/when-body-remembers-tumor
https://www.cell.com/immunity/abstract/S1074-7613(26)00179-2
Speeding up MRI scans for cancer. Researchers from Israel’s Technion and the USA have developed a new method, called ELITE, that accelerates and enhances MRI scans used in breast cancer imaging. It combines AI with advanced mathematical modelling to enable dynamic MRI imaging at unprecedented speed and accuracy.
“Zionist mission” to treat brain tumors. Jerusalem’s Hadassah Ein Kerem is using, for the first time in the world, Alpha DaRT radiation technology from Israel’s Alpha Tau (see here previously) to treat a patient with recurrent glioblastoma (aggressive brain tumors). Alpha Tau’s CEO Uzi Sofer called it a “Zionist mission”.
https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-905948
Mind over matter (again). Remember (see here) the Tel Aviv University study that showed positive thinking helped increase antibodies from vaccination? Now Bar-Ilan University scientists have found that 90% of people heal faster from skin inflammation injury by focusing on their pain. It increases the body’s immune response.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-026-02541-1
Preventing birth defects. (TY TPS) A Hebrew University / Portuguese-led team of international researchers has discovered why taking folic acid during pregnancy protects the fetus from birth defects. Folic acid activates the ALDH1L1 gene, which impacts how the nervous system develops, especially the brain and spinal cord.
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2616501123
Where will the next medical emergency be? (TY I24 News) United Hatzalah is the biggest volunteer organization in Israel, responding to over 2,000 calls each day. Now, they are rolling out an AI system in 20 new ambulances to save lives. (See here previously)
https://worldisraelnews.com/watch-new-ai-tool-allows-united-hatzalah-to-predict-emergency-locations/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuhUbybRswE
Israel’s largest rehabilitation hospital. (TY Hazel) Mexico’s Jusidman is donating NIS 200 million toward a new $390 million rehabilitation center in Sde Dov. It will include some 540 inpatient beds, a trauma clinic, an imaging institute, a hydrotherapy pool, advanced rehabilitation, an R&D incubator, and a green environment.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/hkgpbftzgg
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
The first female Brigadier General in the Israeli Air Force. (TY UWI) Col. G., the commander of Ovda Airbase, is to be promoted and become the first female aircrew member – a graduate of the pilot training course – to receive the rank of brigadier general in the IAF. She now becomes the IDF air attaché in Washington.
https://www.israelhayom.com/2026/07/14/historic-iaf-promotion-col-g-washington-attache/
Haredi reserve battalion is operational. The “Shimon Battalion” 1200, the IDF’s first reserve battalion in the ultra-Orthodox Hasmonean Brigade, has completed its establishment and been declared ready for operational activity following a battalion-level exercise in the Golan Heights.
https://idfclub.org/first-reserve-battalion-in-idfs-haredi-hasmonean-brigade-declared-operational/
Ultra-Orthodox enlistment up 43%. 4,000+ ultra-Orthodox men enlisted in the IDF over the past year, including some 1,000 who entered combat roles. It is 43% more than the 2,800 in the year ending in July 2025. 537 soldiers joined the IDF’s recent specialized ultra-Orthodox programs.
https://worldisraelnews.com/idf-reports-spike-in-number-of-ultra-orthodox-recruits/
Huge enlistment rate of Bnei Menashe community. An astonishing 99% of eligible Bnei Menashe men volunteer to enlist in the IDF- the highest rate in Israel. In addition, 90% of Bnei Menashe women do National Service (Sherut Leumi) and the remaining 10% enlist in the IDF.
https://idfclub.org/bnei-menashe-the-community-with-the-highest-idf-enlistment-rate-in-the-country/
Helping heal Golan Druze in Majdal Shams. The David and Meredith Kaplan Foundation, via the Birthright Israel Foundation, are to establish 8 therapeutic educational gardens across four local educational institutions, creating spaces of healing, growth, and hope for the Druze community devastated by Hezbollah in July 2024.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/golan-druze-community-marks-new-chapter-with-birthright-israel-project/
Air Haifa’s first female Druze flight attendant. Nasreen Hadid from Daliat al-Carmel, was working for Turkish Airlines which stopped flights to Israel after Oct 7 2023. Nasreen joined Air Haifa and eventually became a flight attendant. Air Haifa is a model of Jewish-Arab coexistence. See the article.
https://www.jpost.com/travel/article-903683?dicbo=v2-OmrDAxz
Peoples of Israel. The Times of Israel is running a weekly feature highlighting the the mosaic of personalities walking the Land. One is a Moroccan woman from Manchester who has set up an English Tea house in Jerusalem. Another is a woman whose life’s calling is to care for animals in distress. See them all here.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/elisheva-levy-jerusalems-fairy-godmother/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/tova-saul-the-cat-rescuer-of-jerusalem/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/topic/peoples-of-israel/
Diplomatic relations restored with Venezuela. (TY WIN) Israel and Venezuela agreed to renew consular relations and establish an official coordination channel after 17 years without diplomatic ties. The agreement followed talks between Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Venezuelan Foreign Minister Félix Plasencia.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-905225
Medical aid for DRC. (TY UWI) Israel has delivered three tons of medical aid to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to assist its efforts to confront an Ebola outbreak. DRC Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, came to Jerusalem with an expanded delegation to strengthen partnerships with Israel.
Eye doctors emergency mission to Honduras. Responding to a request from Honduran President Nasry Asfura, Israel sent an emergency ophthalmology mission to treat 155 Hondurans suffering from serious eye conditions, including surgery for 136 of them. Another mission, medical equipment and training are planned.
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/b1ty6nmnfl#google_vignette
Israeli rescue team is in Colombia. The IDF dispatched an 80-member search and rescue delegation to Colombia following a devastating 7.4 magnitude earthquake. The “Alliance of Brothers” mission immediately began work in Cali, Colombia, searching for survivors and clearing rubble while assessing damage.
https://worldisraelnews.com/watch-idf-sends-rescue-team-to-colombia-after-deadly-earthquake/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rV-8FAN1osQ https://www.jpost.com/international/article-905600
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-905499
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Milk from safflower seeds. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem has joined Israel’s “No cow milk” business. They have engineered a drought-tolerant safflower plant to produce beta-casein - a milk protein that helps give cheese its melting properties. (See Remilk, Plantopia, Imagindairy, Fantastic Farms, & CowFree.)
https://www.timesofisrael.com/milk-from-seeds-israeli-scientists-produce-key-dairy-protein-from-safflower-plant/ https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2026.1872014/full
Pipeline upgraded. NewMed Energy has completed the the undersea pipeline between Ashdod and Ashkelon, allowing gas flows to Egypt to increase by about 2 billion cubic meters a year. The amount of gas Israel is committed to supplying Egypt is expected to grow by about 40%.
Hydrogen Valley. Israel’s Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure announced a NIS 10 million government tender to develop hydrogen infrastructure and advance plans for a “Hydrogen Valley” in the eastern Negev, a regional hub designed to test and expand hydrogen-based energy technologies.
https://worldisraelnews.com/israel-advances-3m-hydrogen-valley-plan-for-clean-energy/
https://www.gov.il/BlobFolder/rfp/rfi-135-2023/he/RFI_Hydrogen%20Valley_135_2023.pdf
Making robots meaningful. Israel’s Enigma AI Labs is developing artificial intelligence technology for robots alongside software and interfaces designed to make robotic systems intuitive to use.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/h1tdxjhrgx https://www.enigma.inc/
https://finder.startupnationcentral.org/company_page/enigma-ai-labs
Breakthrough in light control. Tel Aviv University’s Dr. Lior Michaeli was part of an international research team that has developed a meta-surface - an ultra-thin surface layer. When illuminated by a short laser pulse, the optical properties of its silicon structure change, allowing the light beam to be steered and shaped.
https://www.ynetnews.com/health_science/article/byc1w11c4ze
https://english.tau.ac.il/research/light-control-breakthrough
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41565-026-02199-w
Translation for impaired speech. (TY UWI) Israel’s Barvox is a personalized Google Translate to help understand semi-verbal people. Founder & CEO Dror Levy was driven to build Barvox for his speech-impaired son. It could help those with autism, ALS, and other speech impediments, giving a voice to millions.
https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/innov-nation/artc-israeli-startup-uses-ai-to-give-a-voice-to-people-with-speech-difficulties https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gu74fEDpSUk https://www.bar-vox.com/
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Huge defense deal with Romania. (TY Hazel) The deal for the Spyder system, worth over €2 billion, is the second largest defense sale ever by an Israel company, after IAI’s Arrow 3 deal with Germany for $3.5 billion. (See here previously)
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-rafael-signs-huge-air-defense-deal-with-romania-1001547276
The UK needs Israeli trade. (TY Hazel) New figures show that Israel has risen to eighth place in a ranking of the top European and regional nations investing in the UK. 19 Israeli companies either established or expanded operations in the UK from 2024-2025 helping Israel rise from 10th to eighth place in the per capita rankings.
Huge funds for Israeli startups. Israel’s Team8 (see here previously) has raised $365 million in fresh funds to invest in local startups. Israel’s FIMI (see here previously) has secured $1.75 billion, the largest fund in its history. And Israeli gaming fund vgames (see here) has raised $500 million for a new financing platform.
Investing in the Negev. Israel’s Ofir-SouthUp Ventures is targeting $20 million-$30 million to invest in startups that operate in or relocate to Israel’s Western Negev. The aim is to turn the region into a high-tech hub.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/skvjfwoigx
Bumper harvests. (TY Hazel) Israel is expecting its best wheat harvest in a decade, plus a record-breaking avocado season. A combination of ideal weather conditions is expected to yield some 140,000 tons of wheat and massive expansion of avocado plantations in recent years should yield over 300,000 tons of avocados.
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/article-902456
European grant for robot fruit picker. (TY Hazel) Israel’s Nanovel (see here previously) has been awarded a €2.5 million ($2.9 million) grant from the European Innovation Council to accelerate development and commercialization of autonomous robots designed to harvest citrus fruit,
https://www.ynetnews.com/tech-and-digital/article/b12wo1rnge
Cutting out the intermediaries. Mastercard has partnered Israel’s Neema (see here previously) whereby the global money transfer platform Mastercard Move will use Neema's technological infrastructure to enable businesses and individuals abroad to transfer money to Israel in real time. It bypasses SWIFT intermediaries.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/syxgxahmgl
Exits, takeovers & mergers to 23/8/26. Israel’s eToro is acquiring U.S.-focused online brokerage TradeZero for up to $231 million. US-Israeli Doit has acquired Israel’s Atribute.io for an estimated $65 million. UK’s Circeus has acquired Israel’s Dondy for several million dollars. US Ondas has acquired Israel’s Aran Defense for $33 million. US Cribl has acquired Israel’s CardinalOps for around $100 million. Munich Re is acquiring Israel’s At-Bay for $575 million.
Israeli startup investments to 23/8/26. Team8 raised another $265 million; Enigma AI Labs raised $71 million; Corma Labs raised $60 million; Oak Security raised $60 million; Hemispheric.ai raised $52 million; Remepy raised $36 million; Skapion raised $36 million; Velocity raised $27 million; Alta AI raised $25 million; Attestable raised $20 million; Way Security raised $20 million;
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT,
See the mosaics of Huqoq. The beautiful biblical mosaics discovered in the ancient Jewish village of Huqoq (see here previously) can now be seen more widely. A new exhibition “Secrets of Huqoq” has opened at the Yigal Allon Center Museum in Kibbutz Ginosar on the western shore of the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee).
Bat Sheba’s Palace. Asking $210 million, Bat Sheba’s Palace in Caesarea is Israel’s most expensive and luxurious property. In the style of Versailles but with modern technology it has more floor area than the White House. It was completed in 2015 by Italian craftsmen in Baroque and Rococo styles. King Herod would love it.
Rare sunfish sighted off Eilat. A rare ocean sunfish (Mola Mola) was spotted in the Gulf of Eilat in Israel’s Red Sea, an unusual sighting that highlights the extraordinary marine life thriving beneath the country’s waters.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/watch-rare-sunfish-spotted-off-the-coast-of-eilat/
Netflix release date for Fauda Series 5. (TY WIN) The fifth season of the award-winning Israeli action series “Fauda” premiered on May 18 in Israel on Yes TV and will be available for streaming globally on Netflix on Sept. 8. Co-creator and lead actor Lior Raz announced the date on social media.
https://x.com/FaudaOfficial/status/2086787930861793563
Nothing in the world can stop us. Two IDF soldiers, who both lost their legs during the war, faced off in an MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) competition held in Israel. It showcased the incredible strength that the Jewish people and Israel possess. https://unitedwithisrael.org/watch-two-idf-amputees-face-off-in-fighting-competition-showcasing-israeli-resilience/
Marathon team wins European gold. (TY Hazel) Israel’s men’s marathon squad won team gold at the 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, UK, with a time of 6:28:37. Israel’s Gashau Ayale won the individual bronze. Teammates Tadesse Getahon and Haimro Alame finished fifth and eighth respectively.
https://worldisraelnews.com/watch-israeli-marathoners-secure-gold-in-european-championships/
More sporting wins. Israel’s under-18 women’s basketball team won gold at the European Group B Championship in Romania. Israeli paralympian Guy Sasson and his Dutch teammate, Niels Vink won the Wimbledon quad (wheelchair) doubles crown. And Ariel Shulman won the U-60kg judoka European Open.
https://www.thejc.com/news/israel/israeli-paralympian-wimbledon-sasson-win-jtpl7clj
https://www.ijf.org/judoka/43475/results?results_rank_group=all
Success at Jiu-Jitsu. (TY Hazel) Israel's jiu-jitsu team capped the Junior World Jiu-Jitsu Championships in Abu Dhabi winning 13 medals, including four gold medals, and finishing second in the overall medal table. Watch 16-year-old Mila Ben David win her gold medal and sing Hatikvah.
https://worldisraelnews.com/watch-16-year-old-israeli-martial-artist-wins-gold-in-abu-dhabi-youth-championship/ https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/sports/article-904823
Gordon Fight Night. At the unique sold-out GFN (Gordon Fight Night) in Tel Aviv, Israel’s Ahavat Hashem Gordon defeated John Lineker in the main event. His brothers also won: Ruach Hashem Gordon beat Moldovan Maximus Bejenuta at Muay Thai kickboxing, while Kibedy Gordon beat Jose Alberto Quinonez at MMA.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/430866
THE JEWISH STATE
100,000 Olim. Since 2002, Nefesh B’Nefesh has helped Jews from around the world make Aliyah. Six-year-old Emilia Douglas from New York, is the 100,000th immigrant from North America and was greeted by President Isaac Herzog. https://unitedwithisrael.org/watch-president-herzog-welcomes-100000th-nefesh-bnefesh-immigrant-from-north-america/ https://www.jpost.com/aliyah/article-904966
Jerusalem’s new Ambassadors. (TY Sharon) Six new Ambassadors to Israel (Nigeria, Germany, Georgia, Sri Lanka, Honduras, and Chile) presented their credentials to President Herzog in Jerusalem. The Chilean Ambassador Gabriel Schilkurt is also the leader of Chile’s Jewish community.
https://rjstreets.com/2026/08/09/did-you-hear-about-these-new-jerusalem-welcomes/
Archaeologists discover love in Shiloh. (TY UWI) For Clayton Van Hess and his wife, Dr. Abigail Van Hess, who lead the excavation team at ancient Shiloh, their most meaningful discovery was their romance. The couple were married at the site where Hannah, the mother of the biblical prophet Samuel, prayed for a child.
https://tps.co.il/articles/for-two-archaeologists-the-greatest-discovery-at-ancient-shiloh-was-love/
Mysterious 1st Temple figurine mold unearthed. (TY INN) Israeli archaeologists excavating near the Tower of David Museum uncovered a rare clay mold used to craft the face of a female figurine during the First Temple period, the first such mold ever found in Jerusalem. Was it to make a toy, a banned idol, or a good luck charm?
https://unitedwithisrael.org/watch-rare-first-temple-figurine-mold-uncovered-in-jerusalem/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xko7a0Ue_1s
Iranian Jews finally come home. A group of 47 Persian Jews arrived dancing and singing with joy upon landing in Israel, completing their Aliyah with their families after having fled Iran following the revolution and later moving to America.
No-one left behind. The remains of IDF soldier Yehuda Katz, missing since the 1982 Battle of Sultan Yacoub, have been recovered and returned to Israel, ending a search that lasted more than 44 years. He was the last of three Israeli soldiers missing from the battle whose fate remained unresolved.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/israel-recovers-remains-of-soldier-missing-since-1982/
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/
