The government approved yesterday (Sunday) the proposal by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and Tourism Minister Haim Katz, to extend the period of assistance, relief, and evacuation for the population of the southern and northern communities, as well as for hostages, missing persons, and their families, until December 31, 2024, instead of September 30.
The decision involves a budgetary scope of approximately 3.3 billion NIS, and the Minister of Finance will be required to ratify it through an amendment to the Budget Frameworks Law, which will be brought to a vote in the Knesset.
According to the decision, grants for independent housing, assistance grants for unemployed evacuees or non-mobile residents from communities evacuated for relief as part of Operation “Swords of Iron,” as well as employment incentives for these populations, will continue to be provided.
Additionally, the decision includes a budget of approximately 500 million NIS to extend state assistance for continued temporary housing, such as guest houses and hotels, for residents of the “Rebirth Bloc” communities who have not returned to their homes due to security constraints, and for residents of northern communities within 0 to 5 kilometers from the Lebanese border, until September 30, 2024. Furthermore, the budget of the Ministry of Tourism will be increased by 894 million NIS to cover payments to hotels hosting the evacuated population.
The decision also includes an increase in the budget for support provided to reservists in the combat units and their families in 2024, amounting to 200 million NIS, according to plans to be submitted by the Ministers of Defense and Finance.
The government stated that it will continue to provide significant assistance to the populations affected by Operation “Swords of Iron,” and this decision represents another step in the effort to address the security and economic challenges faced by the citizens of Israel.
