Assaf Rappaport and the other founders of Wiz are in talks to buy 25% of the Herzliya Medical Center private hospital at a valuation of over NIS 1 billion, “Globes” has learned. Six months ago, it was reported that Yitzhak Tshuva was on the verge of a similar deal, but that it was blocked by the Ministry of Health. Sources now inform “Globes” that that deal is still on the agenda, so that two sides are competing for the acquisition. It may be, however, that in the end neither deal will go ahead, for regulatory reasons.
As in the previous deal, in the deal in which the Wiz founders are interested too, part of the holding is meant to be bought from Yair Landau, who holds 50% of the shares in the hospital, and part from Clal Insurance, which holds 10%. If the deal goes ahead, the Clalit health fund will hold 40% of the hospital, alongside the new investors and alongside Landau, who will remain with part of his holding.
The deal is not, however, acceptable to the Ministry of Health. The reason for that is that in recent years a change has taken place, encouraged by the ministry, whereby the private hospitals in Israel have eased to be just a private alternative to public healthcare for those who can afford it, and have become providers to the public health system as well. Most of the treatment in the private hospitals is now purchased by the health funds, and is not paid for separately by the patient. About 25% of their activity remains entirely private, which helps the hospital to finance itself and makes the business model remunerative for them.
Most of the large private hospitals in Israel now operate on a model whereby the health funds have a substantial holding in their business, or substantial influence on it. Assuta is 100% held by Maccabi Health Services, and the Medica network, created through the merger of the Raphael, NARA and Elisha hospitals, is 55% owned by the Leumit and Meuhedet funds. There are now no completely private major hospitals in Israel, and it is not likely that the Ministry of Finance will allow such institutions to be set up in the foreseeable future.
When the deal for the acquisition of Herzliya Medical Center was put together by the group led by Tshuva, the Ministry of Health announced that the model that had arisen over the years would henceforth become a regulatory requirement. The ministry requires that any change in the ownership of Herzliya Medical Center should include an increase in Clalit’s holding to over 50%.
In other words, whether Rappaport or Tshuva’s group ultimately buys Landau’s shares, they will need Clalit and Landau’s agreement to Clalit increasing its holding in the hospital, and to Clalit having considerable influence on the running of it.
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Herzliya Medical Center was founded in 1982. Its site in Herzliya covers 9,000 square meters, and it performs about 26,000 surgical procedures annually. In 2016, Clal Insurance bought a 10% stake in the hospital, at a valuation of NIS 700 million.
Published by Globes, Israel business news – en.globes.co.il – on July 14, 2026.
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2026.
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