Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich toured the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council today. During the tour, he announced immediate and initial assistance to the local authorities and residents in the Gaza periphery. He also revealed an additional personal grant of thousands of shekels that will be given to all the residents in communities who were evacuated and affected.
The decision is made jointly with the Minister of Interior, Moshe Arbel, as part of which the two have decided to transfer an immediate and flexible grant to the immediate and urgent needs of the local authorities in the Israeli Gaza periphery region that were severely affected by the war. The grants, totaling over 30 million shekels, will be transferred today (Thursday), in accordance with criteria established by relevant professional bodies.
Minister Smotrich stated that beyond the military operation that the country is currently conducting to defeat Hamas, there is a need for concerted efforts to rehabilitate and rebuild the communities that were affected. In recent discussions with local authority leaders, he learned about the significant challenges and the requirement for an immediate and flexible budget to address the urgent needs arising from managing the situation.
Minister Smotrich also announced his intention to bring an immediate government decision for approval, under which the government will provide evacuated residents of the communities with a special assistance grant of 1,000 NIS per person and up to 5,000 NIS per family as an immediate organization grant, separate from compensation for direct damages incurred.
Smotrich concluded his words by expressing his support for the authorities and their residents and his hope that the mentioned assistance will help, even if only slightly, in dealing with the complex situation in which we find ourselves.
