The proposal secures an additional 3.35 billion NIS to the state budget, primarily allocated to fund civilian expenses required due to the ongoing war.
According to the approved proposal, the expenditure budget for 2024 will amount to 727.4 billion NIS, with the spending cap increasing to 587.4 billion NIS. The budget increase is intended for several key purposes:
*2.18 billion NIS for extending the duration of evacuations until the end of December 2024.
*525 million NIS to fund amounts reduced by across-the-board cuts to extend evacuations between July and August 2024.
*255 million NIS to the National Insurance Institute to implement the recommendations of the committee on aid for victims of the October 7, 2023 events.
*200 million NIS to the Ministry of Defense to expand support for reserve combat soldiers and their families.
*193 million NIS to fund wage agreements in the Ministry of Education.
In the explanatory notes to the proposal, it was noted that the additional budget is required due to the continuation of the “Operation Iron Swords” war beyond previous estimates, which assumed that the intensity of the fighting would decrease by the end of June 2024.
The committee chairman, MK Moshe Gafni, emphasized the exceptional circumstances that led to the approval of the budget: “Under normal circumstances, I might not have voted for this budget, but because this is for the evacuees and the war effort, we approved the additional budget.”
The approval of this additional budget reflects the national effort to address the consequences of the ongoing war while meeting the urgent civilian needs that arise from it. The budget increase is expected to support ongoing aid for evacuees, provide assistance to victims, and strengthen the fighting forces and the families of reservists.
