The Ministry of Finance unveiled a plan for returning residents of the north to their homes and the amount of compensation

On Sunday, January 5, the Treasury presented a compensation plan aimed at encouraging northern residents to return to their homes.

The plan provides for one-time payments to adults in the amount of 15,360 shekels, children under 18 years old – 7,680 (children over 18 years old will receive adult compensation). In addition, another payment is provided for the restoration of houses after a long absence of the owners, its amount will be 10,000 shekels for an adult and 5,000 for a child. Thus, a family with two children, according to this plan, will be able to receive about 76,000 shekels.

According to the publication Calcalist, the implementation of the plan, the total cost of which is estimated at 3.4 billion shekels, is scheduled for March 2025. Minister in the Ministry of Finance Ze’ev Elkin said at a press conference that funding for the program will be provided by budget sources, partly from the Ministry of Finance, partly from the multi-year program for the reconstruction of the northern regions (this program is still in progress).

Compensations will be paid through the National Insurance Institute (Bituach Leumi).

In order to encourage residents of the north to return to their homes, when calculating the amount of compensation, the time of departure from the hotel paid for by the state will be taken into account: those who left the hotel on March 7 will receive compensation in full (15,360 per adult and 7,680 per child). For those who left the hotel after this date (from March 7 to early April), the amount of compensation will be halved (7,680 for adults, 3,840 for children). When leaving the hotel between April and May, the compensation for an adult will be 3,840 shekels, for a child – 1,920 shekels.

Commenting on the promises of the Ministry of Finance, the National Insurance Institute reported that at the moment the plan has not been approved by the government and exists only on paper; it will take several months for its approval. Payments are not expected to begin until May.