TEL AVIV (MarketWatch) -- Israeli stocks opened October with fresh gains on Sunday, led by a surge in real-estate developer Africa-Israel Investments.

The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange’s benchmark TA-25 Index closed up 0.4% at 1,231.12 while the TA-100 Index (TA100) added 0.4% to 1,133.85.

The Tel-Tech 15 Index of top technology issues edged down 0.29% to 233.96.

The most-active issue: TA-100-listed Africa-Israel. The investment bank Clal Finance resumed coverage of the property firm with an outperform rating and a 28-shekel ($7.72) price target. Africa-Israel shares closed at 23.4 shekels vs. 20.5 shekels at the end of last week.

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Leadng the TA-25 higher were Delek Drilling and Avner, up 4% and 3.2% respectively. The two are part of a group developing a gas field offshore northern Israel. And both are units of holding company Delek Group, DGRLY, +4.78% shares of which moved up 2.3%.

Israel Chemicals, the fertilizer producer, climbed 1.3%. Agrichemicals specialist Makhteshim-Agan MAIXY advanced 1.9%.

The notable decliner in the blue chips: drugmaker Perrigo, PRGO, +0.52% off 3.2%. Teva Pharmaceutical TEVA, +1.80% gave up 0.6%.

Elbit Systems Ltd. ESLT, +1.64% shares moved up 2.3%. The defense contractor said that it received a $56 million two-year contract from an unnamed customer to upgrade an Asian customer’s tanks with advanced battle-management and observation-and-surveillance systems.

Banking stocks were largely higher, with Mizrahi Tefahot UMZRF up by 1.8%, Leumi by 1.3% and Hapoalim BKHPF, -3.89% adding 0.8%.

With the Tel-Tech 15, Nice Systems, NICE, +0.46% the provider of digital recording and archiving solutions for industrial and security applications, finished up 1.6%.

Gilat Satellite Networks GILT, -3.71% signaled a 3.2% advance and Clal Biotech was 2.7% healthier.