Prices up all over the country; consumer price index rises 1.6% since beginning of the year

Sharpest rise in prices is seen in Jerusalem, followed by Tel Aviv and then Haifa, according to figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics; cost of living also up

Bank of Israel says Israelis took out NIS 78.1 billion in mortgages last year, a 15% increase over 2019

Housing Ministry figures show dire sales figures during March-May were replaced by an increase in purchases in June-August

Finance Ministry figures show purchases in second quarter of 2020 down 27% compared to 2019, at lowest level since 2003

Government plans to build 1.5 million new homes by 2040, mostly in the crowded center, but critics say housing without infrastructure won't work, call for developing Negev, Galilee