OREANDA-NEWS. Delek Group (TASE: DLEKG, US ADR: DGRLY) (“the Company”) is pleased to announced that further  to what was stated in section 1.12.3 of the Company's 2014 Periodic Report  (ref. no. 2015-01-067483) concerning the sale of the Company's holdings in  Republic Companies, Inc. (“Republic”), the Company announces as follows:

On September 27, 2015 the Company entered  into an agreement, through a subsidiary, Delek Finance US Inc. (“Delek  Finance”), with AmTrust Financial Services, Inc., a publicly traded US  insurance holding company whose shares are traded on NASDAQ under the symbol  “AFSI” ("AmTrust"), for the sale by Delek Finance of all of its  shares in Republic (approximately 66% of the issued shares of Republic) to  AmTrust for a consideration of approximately USD 140 million ("the  Purchase Agreement" and "Consideration").

Concurrently with the Purchase Agreement,  AmTrust has or intends to enter into agreements with the other shareholders of  Republic to acquire their shares of Republic such that after the Transactions  are completed, AmTrust will hold 100% of the shares of Republic Companies,  Inc.  In accordance with the Transaction,  the call option that Delek Finance gave the investors group as described in  section 1.12.3 of the Company's 2014 Periodic Report, will be cancelled.

A portion of the consideration (25%) under  the Purchase Agreement, approximately USD 35 million, will be paid in cash on  the closing date. The balance, approximately USD 105 million, will be paid by  AmTrust in the form of a note (the "Seller Note") having a maturity  period of 4 years, bearing annual interest of 5.75% that will be repaid in 4  equal annual installments.

The Seller Note will be senior unsecured  obligation of AmTrust and will rank pari passu with AmTrust's other senior  unsecured and unsubordinated debt.  The  Seller Note will also have a cross-acceleration provision to certain of  AmTrust’s other existing senior unsecured debt, whereby if there should be any  acceleration of AmTrust's bank debt or senior notes, such event shall also be  deemed grounds for immediate acceleration of the Seller Note.

The closing of the Transaction is  conditioned upon the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including  receipt of regulatory approvals. As a result of the Transaction, it is expected  that the Company will recognize a gain that is estimated, at this time, at  approximately USD 10 million, which will be reflected in the statement of  profit and loss.  

The Company notes that there is no certainty  that the Transaction will close. The Company will make an additional Immediate  Report on closing of the Transaction.

The Delek Group, Israel's dominant integrated energy company, is  the pioneering leader of the natural gas exploration and production activities  that are transforming the Eastern Mediterranean's Levant Basin  into one of the energy industry's most promising emerging regions. Having  discovered Tamar and Leviathan, two of the world's largest natural gas finds  since 2000, Delek and its partners are now developing a balanced, world-class  portfolio of exploration, development and production assets with total gross  natural gas resources discovered since 2009 of approximately 40 TCF.