Israel's National Insurance Institute Reports Billions Spent on War-Related Benefits

Israel's National Insurance Institute has released figures detailing the substantial financial costs associated with the ongoing conflict, particularly in the three years since October 7th. The institute disbursed approximately 58 billion shekels in reserve duty payments, a significant increase due to extended service periods that now often result in monthly payouts rather than lump sums. Additionally, unemployment benefits related to three major conflict periods totaled 4.2 billion shekels. The largest portion of these expenditures, over 9 billion shekels, was allocated to victims of hostile acts, bereaved families, and the hostages and their families, covering grants and wage compensation. Another 8 billion shekels were provided to evacuees through various grants for housing, return, re-employment, and unemployment compensation.

The report highlights specific figures for different conflict phases. For "Swords of Iron War," unemployment benefits amounted to 2.5 billion shekels for 210,000 individuals. "Operation "With All Your Might"" cost about half a billion shekels for 100,000 unemployed, while "Roaring Lion" saw 1.7 billion shekels paid to 196,000 unemployed. The institute also provided 662 million shekels in assistance grants to 84,000 civilians affected by the October 7th attacks, including residents of the Gaza envelope, those in combat zones, relatives of casualties and hostages, and security personnel.

Rehabilitation expenses have exceeded 750 million shekels, covering vocational and academic studies, living expenses during studies, and support services. Housing grants for approximately 190,000 evacuees who opted out of hotels reached over 5 billion shekels, with roughly 1.3 billion for 130,000 from the south and 3.8 billion for 63,000 from the north. Return grants totaling 1.42 billion shekels were given to about 110,000 people, split between northern and southern evacuees. Unemployment compensation for evacuees amounted to 272 million shekels for 7,500 individuals, and re-employment incentives reached 1.2 billion shekels for 74,000 individuals who returned to work.

Since October 7th, the National Insurance Institute has processed 87,286 claims from victims of hostile acts. Of these, 43,004 civilians have filed for disability recognition, with 40,407 already assessed. The majority of those recognized with disabilities, 34,878, were due to psychological trauma, with 3,171 for physical injuries and 2,355 for a combination of both.