The 28-year-old right-back has agreed a four-year contract after moving for a reported £1.6m.

He joins Bitton in Neil Lennon's squad, while fellow midfielder Kayal signed for Brighton & Hove Albion from Celtic.

"They said very good words about the people here, about the club, it's like a family," Elhamed said.

"It was an easy decision for me. As soon as my agent said Celtic were interested, I was so happy and I did everything to come here."

The defender revealed that his compatriots thought he "can do a good job here with my quality".

Elhamed, who has six caps for his country, spent two seasons with Hapoel after returning to his homeland initially on loan to Ashdod from Belgian club Gent.

He made 27 appearances last season as his side missed out on a fourth consecutive Israeli Premier League title by slipping to fourth place.

Lennon had been left short of a right-back after summer departures by Mikael Lustig and Christian Gamboa, but reports from Israel suggest there are differing opinions about Elhamed's best position.

"I'm a player that can do many things," he explained. "I'm very quick and comfortable with the ball. I can do a good job as a right and centre back. I want to play."