The Knesset Finance Committee approved a compensation package on Tuesday for
residents and businesses in the South who lost income as a result of Operation
Pillar of Defense last month.
Full compensation will be granted to those
who reside within 7 kilometers of the Gaza Strip, and missed work between
November 14, when the operation began, and November 23, the day after it ended.
Parents of children aged 14 and under who live within 40 kilometers of Gaza, who
were forced to stay home following the closure of schools, will also be
compensated.
Moshe Asher, deputy director of the Israel Tax Authority,
told the committee that the ITA has received around 3,300 claims for direct
property damage caused by Gazan rockets. Staff have handled around one-third of
these claims so far, he said, and compensation has already been sent to those
residents’ bank accounts.
Ashdod and Beersheba suffered the most property
damage. The ITA has received 1,086 claims from Ashdod – 746 related to buildings
and 340 related to vehicles. Beersheba residents have filed 748 claims – 516 for
building damage and 232 for vehicle damage.