Health Ministry data published Thursday reveal that for the first time in recent years, the number of smokers rose. In 2016, 120,000 new smokers started smoking, a 13% rise. The Israel Cancer Association said that "these are worrying figures, a warning to the Israeli government especially when we are talking about life and death."
The association added that Israel lags behind EU countries in implementing anti-smoking policies. Tobacco companies invested 60 miillion NIS in advertising as opposed to just 0.5 million invested by the Health Ministry in anti-smoking adds.