An illustrative image of a merger and acquisition deal (designer491; iStock by Getty Images) Merger and acquisition deals in Israel plunged by 50% this year to $10 billion compared to last year, due to the economic paralysis wrought by the coronavirus pandemic, a new report by consultants PwC Israel shows. The report summarizes the number of Israeli firms involved in merger and acquisition deals, both local and foreign. The figures in the report exclude mega deals like that of Mellanox Technologies Ltd., which was acquired by Nvidia and completed this year; the acquisition of Frutarom by International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) in 2018; Mobileye’s acquisition by Intel Corp. in 2017 and Allergan’s acquisition by Teva in 2016.