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Israel Gains More Billionaires, Breaking Into Top 20 Countries for Ultra-Rich Despite Gaza War
Israeli national flags flutter near office towers at a business park also housing high tech companies, at Ofer Park in Petah Tikva, Israel, Aug. 27, 2020. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
Despite concerns about the Israeli economy amid the ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza, Israel added nine billionaires to its population over the last year, according to a new ranking.
The Hurun Report, a Shanghai- and Mumbai-based research firm, this week released its Global Rich List 2024, a ranking of the billionaires in the world in terms of US dollars. According to the findings, Israel broke into the top 20 countries for the ultra-rich with its new additions over the last year, which bring the Jewish state’s total number of billionaires to 29.
Interestingly, Israel ranked 18th on the list — Chai, the Hebrew word for “life,” is associated with the number 18, which is considered a lucky number in Judaism.
The next highest amount for Middle Eastern countries were Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, ranked 20 and 22, respectively, making the Jewish state the home of the region’s most billionaires.
The richest Israeli was Miriam Adelson, widow of the late Sheldon Adelson, a casino mogul and pro-Israel philanthropist who passed away in 2021. Her net worth was $35 billion, making her the 36th richest person in the world. Members of the Ofer family, real estate and shipping magnates, were also on the list of wealthiest Israelis.
The new ranking came at a time when Israel’s economy, though suffering through a war, has seen some levels of growth. For example, Israeli startups raised nearly $2 billion in the past 90 days, according to Startup Nation Center. Some investors have remarked that the funding activity in the country is the highest they have seen in years.
On the economic level, GDP dropped by nearly 20 percent in the final quarter of 2023, though economists have not warned of any serious recession risks — barring a massive flareup in Israel’s north — due to the fact that historically Israel’s economy has bounced back quickly following wars and disasters. Additionally, the country has a low debt ratio, meaning that the Bank of Israel can issue bonds to print more currency without inflicting serious long-term damage to the economy, experts say.
After Hamas terrorists attacked Israel on Oct. 7 and launched the war in Gaza, hundreds of thousands of Israeli reservists — many of whom were ordinary citizens working civilian jobs — were called to service, putting a strain on the Israeli economy. However, many reservists have come home in recent weeks as Israel has made military gains on the ground.
Topping Hurun’s list was China, which lost 155 billionaires in 2023 but still maintained 814 in the country. Shortly behind was the US with 800. India sat well behind in third place with 271 billionaires.
According to the report, there are in total 3,279 billionaires in the world — 167 more than last year. The research agency attributes the boom in large part to artificial intelligence, which accounted for the work of more than half of the new billionaires.
The post Israel Gains More Billionaires, Breaking Into Top 20 Countries for Ultra-Rich Despite Gaza War first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.