The government approved on Sunday an initial emergency grant to be transferred to residents whose homes were damaged and deemed uninhabitable due to a hit from the ongoing Iranian missile strikes during Operation Roaring Lion.
Since the start of the joint US-Israeli operation on Saturday, waves of Iranian retaliation strikes have led to the destruction of homes, cars, and other property by missiles across the country.
Under the government’s grant plan, a total of NIS 2,000 will be provided initially to each resident whose home was damaged and declared unfit for habitation. The sum will be divided into two parts, with NIS 500 paid directly to the resident to cover urgent personal needs, according to the Finance Ministry.
The additional grant of NIS 1,500 will be transferred to local authorities to fund their immediate response efforts for residents.
The government invited residents whose homes or property were damaged to report the incident through the Tax Authority hotline or submit an online claim on the authority’s website.
Finance Minister Smotrich reassures the public
Those with significant property damage to their homes will be evacuated to a government-funded hotel, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Monday.
Smotrich previously instructed on Saturday that there be no budget limitation on evacuating residents whose homes were damaged to hotels across the country.
He also vowed on Sunday that any citizen whose property was damaged would receive full compensation.
“We will ensure that everyone whose home was damaged receives full compensation and rehabilitation so that you can return to your daily lives safely and as quickly as possible,” Smotrich said.
The finance minister later held a livestream open to the public on Monday, during which he answered questions regarding property damage and losses sustained from missile impacts.
Smotrich praised the stability of the stock market amid the security situation and said he believes the war with Iran would be beneficial for Israel’s economy.
When asked how long the war would last, Smotrich said he did not know but stressed his support for the operation proceeding with full force.