On March 30, 2026, Israel’s board approved a plan to align the benefits of discharged lone national service women with those given to discharged lone soldiers. The decision was meant to recognize that these volunteers face similar hardships, especially when they have no family support in Israel or are new immigrants.
The package, promoted by Defense Minister Israel Katz and National Missions Minister Orit Strock, was budgeted at 5 million shekels. It was supposed to be transferred to the IDF Discharged Soldiers Fund in the Defense Ministry and used, among other things, for rent assistance and stipends in pre-academic preparatory programs. After the approval, Katz and Strock issued a joint statement praising the move. Strock said, “Today we made an important and just correction,” adding that, “for the first time in the history of the state,” lone national service volunteers would receive the full rights granted to lone soldiers. Katz said, “The State of Israel is committed to everyone who chooses to serve it, without exception.”
But nearly three months later, the money has still not reached its destination. Two days before the report, Haggai Reznik, who heads the Discharged Soldiers Fund, sent Katz and Strock a letter asking them to advance the transfer. In the letter, seen by ynet, he said the Finance Ministry had not approved the transfer because of procedural issues related to authorities and budget classification. He said the delay was preventing the promised benefits from being implemented.
Each year, 11,000 to 18,000 women enlist in national service, and about 300 of them are considered lone volunteers because they lack family backing or are new immigrants. Under the law, they receive services from the Discharged Soldiers Fund for five years after discharge. The report noted that the Defense Ministry handles a budget of more than 120 billion shekels, the fund receives about 3 billion shekels a year, and the disputed amount is only 5 million shekels. The Defense Ministry said Finance Ministry approval is still required, while the Finance Ministry argued that the Defense Ministry had already used its budget elsewhere and exceeded government-approved limits.
