The Housing and Construction Ministry said Tuesday that registration has closed for the 11th round of the government’s “Dira BaHanacha” affordable housing program. About 114,848 eligible households without housing competed for 7,922 subsidized apartments in 19 localities, with more than 100,000 households and 1.7 million total registrations because each family could enter up to three cities.
Last month, the Israel Land Council finalized a split of the lottery so that the first round would be reserved for reserve soldiers, following a Supreme Court ruling barring benefits for yeshiva students who evaded military service. About 4,000 apartments will be allocated first to reserve soldiers, and another 3,000 units will later be opened to the rest of the population that served in the army, after the ministry receives updated data from the IDF. The ministry said staff will now carry out technical checks and update eligibility with the Defense Ministry before winners are notified in their personal government accounts.
This is the first lottery that had been due to launch in 2026, immediately after Passover, and it includes discounted homes in Ashdod, Rehovot, Hadera, Maale Adumim, Kadima-Zoran, the Haredi town of Rechasim, Beit Dagan, Bnei Ayish, the Arab town of Kafr Manda, Kiryat Gat, Nahariya, Eilat, Yehud, Rishon Lezion, Bat Hefer and Kfar Saba. Kfar Saba drew the most interest, with 38,732 registrations for 1,045 apartments, followed by Kiryat Gat with 28,514 applicants for 1,433 homes.
Other highly contested projects include Beit Dagan, where 26,402 applicants are chasing 399 units, and Rishon Lezion, where 23,425 people are competing for just 148 apartments. In Hadera, 22,711 eligible households are vying for 268 homes, while Maale Adumim offers the largest number of units, 1,663, for 22,658 registrants. Further demand was reported in Mazkeret Batya, Ashdod, Beit Shemesh, Nahariya and Rechasim. Winners do not receive ready-made apartments, but the right to buy in a new project still under development, and they may not sell the home for five years after receiving the keys or seven years after winning the lottery, though renting it out is allowed.