A new free daily Hebrew newspaper has launched Sunday.

Israel Hayom distributed 150,000 copies in train and bus stations, with a goal of reaching a daily circulation of 300,000. For its first month, the paper will sell advertisements only to non-profit organisations, and distribution will include placing copies in private mailboxes, as well as being distributed in transportation hubs.

According to Editor and Publisher via the Jerusalem Post, Israel Hayom is being bankrolled by Sheldon Adelson, an American casino mogul with close ties to former Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. The newspaper's editor-in-chief, Amos Regev, is also a close associate of the former prime minister, Editor and Publisher stated.

A free daily “bankrolled by one person with connections to a political figure” is cause for concern, Professor Eli Pollack, chairman of the non-profit watchdog group Media Watch, told the Post.