Israel’s Population Reaches 9.5 Mln

Religious people make up 35 percent of the population (AFP)
Religious people make up 35 percent of the population (AFP)
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Israel’s Population Reaches 9.5 Mln

Religious people make up 35 percent of the population (AFP)
Religious people make up 35 percent of the population (AFP)

Ahead of the Jewish New Year, Israel’s population stands at 9.593 million residents, the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) said in data released on Tuesday.

Up to 45 percent of the population are secular, 35 percent are religious, and 19 percent are traditional.

In 1948, when Israel was established, the population of Israel numbered 806,000 people, among them 154,000 Arabs (19 percent) who are known as “48 Palestinians”.

The Bureau observed around 355,000 Arabs who don’t hold the Israeli nationality but they are Palestinians in the occupied East Jerusalem (333,000), and Syrians in the occupied Golan (25,000).

Based on the data, 73.9 percent live in main cities while the rest in settlements.

The population increased by 187,000 (2 percent) last year. The past year also saw the arrival of around 60,000 new immigrants to Israel.

Around 74 percent of Israelis live in cities, 15 percent live in villages of local councils, 10 percent in regional councils, and five percent in “unacknowledged” regions.

The Bureau revealed that 67 percent are satisfied with their economic condition, while 12 percent complained of poverty.

Up to 65 percent of Israelis live in houses owned by them, knowing that the prices of houses hiked by 13 percent in the past year. The rest live in leased apartments and pay around $1,200 per month.

Israelis are identified as 45 percent secular, 19 percent traditional, 14 percent traditional-religious, 11 percent religious and 10.5 percent Haredi.

Throughout the past year, 185,000 babies were born in Israel. Meanwhile, marriages reached 40,000 and divorces 15,000.

Average life expectancy for Israeli men is 80.5 years compared to 84.6 years for women.



Ukraine Ready to Hold Talks with Russia Once Ceasefire Is in Place, Zelenskiy Says

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks during a briefing in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks during a briefing in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP)
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Ukraine Ready to Hold Talks with Russia Once Ceasefire Is in Place, Zelenskiy Says

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks during a briefing in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks during a briefing in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP)

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday that Ukraine would be ready to hold talks with Russia in any format once a ceasefire is in place and the fighting between Kyiv and Moscow's forces has stopped.

The Ukrainian leader also told reporters at a briefing that a Ukrainian delegation meeting officials from Western countries in London on Wednesday would have a mandate to discuss a full or partial ceasefire.

"We are ready to record that after a ceasefire, we are ready to sit down in any format so that there are no dead ends," Zelenskiy said at the briefing in the presidential office in Kyiv.

"It will not be possible to agree on everything quickly," he warned, noting numerous highly complex issues such as territory, security guarantees and Ukraine's membership in the NATO military alliance.

The talks in London, which are to set to bring together officials from the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Ukraine, come amid a flurry of intense US-led diplomatic efforts to find a way to end Russia's war with Ukraine.

Zelenskiy said he would be happy to meet US President Donald Trump later this week when they attend the funeral of Pope Francis.