The president also said he has ordered the Pentagon to postpone military strikes on Iran’s power plants for at least 5 days, extending a deadline he announced over the weekend.
The defence and energy sectors have the most to gain from a lengthy conflict.
An Israeli official said Wednesday he expects fighting against Hamas will last to the end of the year.
Iran’s long-anticipated attack against Israel appears to have started as unmanned aerial vehicles from Iran are en route.
Billionaire X owner Elon Musk visited Israel on Monday following backlash over his public endorsement of an antisemitic post on the social media platform.
The hostages included four children aged 9 or younger, 10 Thai nationals and a son, mother and grandmother from the same family.
The billionaire has said he’ll provide satellite internet to aid groups in Gaza after Israeli strikes take out communications.
So far, a small number of the world’s billionaires have publicly stepped up with donations to humanitarian groups working in Israel.
The shekel has shed 3% since Friday before the Hamas attack on Israel.
Israel is restricting the flow of all supplies to the Palestinian territory it has been blockading since 2007.