'Counterproductive incentive': Hardest-hit Gaza border towns slam gov't canceling return grant
Leaders of the eleven towns hit hardest in the October 7 Hamas massacre, in a meeting labeled 'urgent' in the Knesset Economics Committee, criticized on Monday the government's decision on June 29 to cancel grants to families who return to the towns.
The government's abrupt decision on June 29 stated that the 'security obstacles' preventing residents from returning had been removed, and therefore, residents were permitted to return to the area. However, contrary to prior commitments, the governments announced that families are no longer eligible to receive grants, which, based on different criteria, could reach tens of thousands of shekels.
In a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Minister in the Finance Ministry Ze'ev Elkin, and Tkuma Directorate head Aviad Friedman, lawyers representing the 11 towns - Be'eri, Kfar Aza, Nir Oz, Nahal Oz, Kissufim, Nirim, Holit, Netiv HaAsara, Re'im, Nir Yitzhak, and Sufa – wrote, 'Retroactively, and without any real discussion, the government of Israel has decided to reverse previous government decisions and explicit commitments made to residents of the 'red zone' communities—those who suffered the worst during the October 7 massacre—regarding one-time 'return home' grants.'
The lawyers argued that in similar cases, such as the return of residents to northern communities in March, residents were given a grace period to return home, during which they were still eligible for the grants. In this case, the eligibility was removed without warning. The decision was thus unfair, and also harmed families who had included the grants in their economic planning.
The lawyers wrote that the residents were 'stunned' by the decision.
'In an almost incomprehensible move—these are the very residents who bore, and continue to bear, the catastrophic consequences of the October 7 massacre, and who were displaced from their homes for the longest period (nearly two years)—they are the only ones denied a meaningful grant intended to help evacuees return home,' the lawyers wrote.
'The government's breach of its commitment to the red zone residents not only contradicts the prime minister's promise that 'the government of Israel is determined to mend the fracture,' but also severely undermines the trust of these residents in the state—trust that was already shattered by the events of October 7,' the lawyers wrote.
'This decision discriminates against red zone residents compared to evacuees from other communities displaced by the Iron Swords War. While evacuees in both the South and the North received return grants, residents of the red zone are the only ones excluded. Given that these communities were the hardest hit on October 7, the extreme unreasonableness of the decision is even more stark,' the lawyers wrote.
'Furthermore, the decision of June 29, 2025 directly contradicts previous government resolutions that aimed to incentivize residents to return home once security conditions allowed it. While those grants previously encouraged return and community recovery, their cancellation—alongside financial support for those delaying their return—undermines the rehabilitation of the affected communities and creates a completely counterproductive incentive,' the lawyers wrote.
They also pointed to procedural flaws that they claimed made the decision illegal, claiming that the government decision was made in a 'rushed process (an expedited phone approval), without any substantive prior discussion n; without any factual basis laid out to justify deviation from previous government decisions; without any preparatory staff work followed by conclusions that might have supported the decision; without the position of the red zone residents being heard; without any relevant considerations being taken into account; without the decision being properly reasoned, based on substantive and weighty arguments; and contrary to the government's obligation to consider the T'kuma region as a national priority area that requires rehabilitation, in accordance with the Broad Rehabilitation Law for the T'kuma Region.'
The lawyers stated in the letter that the heads of the towns in question will petition the High Court of Justice if the government decision is not repealed.
The Economic Committee meeting concluded with committee chairman MK David Bitan (Likud) setting a meeting with representatives of the Tkuma Directorate and the finance ministry in order to negotiate a solution and set the source of funding for it. Bitan said that he would not enable representatives of the towns to attend the meeting.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Wall Street Journal
2 hours ago
- Wall Street Journal
Why Palestinian Nationalism Is a Nonstarter
The comedian Robin Williams said he was once interviewed on German television and was asked why he thought there wasn't much comedy in Germany. He replied: 'Did you ever think you killed all the funny people?' In his op-ed 'A Hebron 'Emirate' or a Colonial Deception?' (July 10), Mahmoud Jabari decries an alternative to the two-state solution, which he says is the only path toward 'real' peace. If there is less appetite in Israel today for Mr. Jabari's preferred solution, it is partly because, on Oct. 7, 2023, Palestinians murdered many of the Israelis who agreed with him.
Fox News
2 hours ago
- Fox News
Mother of slain soldier held by Hamas terrorists for 4K days makes plea to Trump
It has been 4,000 days since Hadar Goldin, a 23-year-old Israeli soldier and budding artist, was ambushed and killed by Hamas terrorists during a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza. His remains have never been returned. For his mother, Leah Goldin, the passage of time has only deepened the urgency. In a wide-ranging interview marking the grim milestone, she thanked President Donald Trump and his advisors for their efforts so far— and asked for them to ensure that no ceasefire, normalization deal or regional agreement moves forward without the return of her son. "We are turning to and hoping that President Trump and his people — who understand this issue — will recognize that the real victory over Iran is to bring everyone home immediately and unconditionally. Hadar is a symbol, and the Saudis must make this demand on their side, because you can't speak of normalization while we remain in a state of abnormality. MARCO RUBIO HOLDS FIRST MEETING WITH FAMILIES OF HOSTAGES HELD BY HAMAS "These deals are a bluff — and this selective process is horrific. It's killing the families and the hostages. The further we go without bringing everyone back and ending this awful war, the more Hadar Goldins there will be. It's unbearable." Hadar Goldin was born to a prominent family of educators and raised on values of faith, service and compassion. Hadar was known for his gentle character, sharp intellect and deep artistic talent. He had just gotten engaged. In his free time, he drew portraits, wrote poetry and taught children with disabilities. He was serving in the elite Givati Brigade when, on Aug. 1, 2014, during Operation Protective Edge, Hamas violated a ceasefire — agreed upon hours earlier with U.S. and U.N. mediation — by launching a surprise attack. Hadar was killed and dragged into a tunnel inside Gaza. For his mother, that moment shattered not only her family's world, but also what she calls "the Israeli military's sacred code." "The IDF's ethos is never to leave a soldier behind," she said. "But on August 28, 2014, Israel signed a ceasefire with Hamas without demanding Hadar's return. That broke something fundamental." Over the past decade, Leah Goldin has met with world leaders, lawmakers and military officials across the U.S. and Europe, seeking justice for her son and others like him. She points to U.N. Security Council Resolution 2474, passed in 2019, which obligates all parties to an armed conflict to return the remains of the dead as a humanitarian act and confidence-building measure. "This is international law," she said. "And yet Hadar is still in Gaza." ISRAEL, HAMAS TALKS DRAG AS AID GROUP CHAIR TELLS UN TO STOP ACTING LIKE THE 'MAFIA' Goldin credits the Trump administration for taking the issue seriously. "When the resolution passed in 2019, it was Trump's people — Jason Greenblatt, Nikki Haley — who led the way," she said. Today, Goldin sees a rare opportunity — a convergence of diplomatic efforts with Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Gaza — to demand Hadar's return before any agreements are finalized. "Saudi Arabia has enormous leverage," she said. "They're leading the Islamic world. If they want normalization with Israel, then let them demand the return of Hadar and all of the hostages as a gesture of goodwill." She also praised Steve Witkoff, a Trump envoy on both Iran and Saudi issues, and urged him to connect the dots. "He's in charge of the deals. He knows the hostages matter. Don't say you'll finish the business and deal with the hostages later. That's immoral." SIGN UP FOR ANTISEMITISM EXPOSED NEWSLETTER Goldin says she has lost trust in the Israeli government, which she believes has repeatedly sidelined her son for political convenience. "It's the same people for 11 years, just in different chairs," she said. "They sign ceasefires, they release terrorists — but leave Hadar behind." Since Hamas' October 7 massacre, Leah and her family have taken on a new role: advising and supporting the families of current hostages through the Hostage and Missing Families Forum, a group they helped build in the days after the attack. "My son Tzur, who also served in special forces, said no family should go through this alone," she said. "So we organized — gave them our contacts, our tools, our lessons. But it's painful. Because we've seen this before. And we know how easy it is to be forgotten." She calls the ongoing hostage negotiations "a nightmare of selection," where some are prioritized and others left behind. "As a daughter of Holocaust survivors, this feels like moral collapse," she said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Goldin says she will not stop until Hadar — and all the hostages — come home. "Hadar is not just my son," she said. "He's a symbol now. And in every ceasefire, in every backroom deal, in every 'business as usual' moment — I want the world to remember his name."
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ben Shapiro Says Megyn Kelly's Epstein Sources Are Complicit in One of History's ‘Greatest Cover-Ups'
Ben Shapiro came after Megyn Kelly's sources who she says claim Jeffrey Epstein was an asset for America or Israel – but insist on remaining anonymous. While on Monday's episode of 'The Megyn Kelly Show,' the host and Shapiro sparred over whether or not the deceased American financier, child sex offender and sex trafficker Epstein was also an asset for America or Israel. Kelly was adamant she had sources that said 'not only do we believe he was an agent, but we don't believe he killed himself.' More from TheWrap Ben Shapiro Says Megyn Kelly's Epstein Sources Are Complicit in One of History's 'Greatest Cover-Ups' | Video 'Better Go Mad in the Wild' Subject Frantisek Klisik Dies Hours After Film Wins at Karlovy Vary Film Festival 'Final Destination Bloodlines' Star Richard Harmon Joins Fox's 'Memory of a Killer' With Patrick Dempsey Barack Obama Urges Democrats to Ditch 'Navel-Gazing' and 'Toughen Up' Against Trump 'I mean, that's fine,' Shapiro said. 'They should come out, and they should say that, and then they should say who's covering that up.' He added: 'I have the names of the people who are making the claim that Jeffrey Epstein killed himself, and that the most gross and sort of extreme of the conspiracy theories … the most extreme version of the theory, is not true. I have the names of the people who are claiming that they are all in the administration. And this is my point. If other people want to make those claims that are counter to that, then they should provide evidence, or at least put their names on it, so we can question them about that as well, because otherwise we're just in the realm of pure speculation, and frankly, I just don't find that useful.' Kelly countered that Shapiro exclaiming her sources were not valid because they did come out with the information public is not fair. She pointed to the fact that doing so could be dangerous both professionally and personally because 'they don't want to be the one to cross Trump.' Shapiro scoffed at that and added that coming out with information on Epstein would only make the whisteblower richer. 'I'm not saying you should name them,' he said. 'I'm saying they should name themselves, because otherwise, they are being complicit in one of the greatest cover-ups in the history of America.' Shapiro continued: 'If somebody came out today, and they were a whistleblower on the greatest scandal in the history of the American Republic, they would make more money tomorrow than in their entire life working for the FBI. That's ridiculous.' Epstein has had Trump's MAGA base turning on each other across the board since the DOJ and FBI's memo last week revealed that the Trump-mandated investigation into Epstein's criminal past 'did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.' This came mere months after Bondi told Fox News that she was in possession of a list of that very nature. CNN even reported that Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino was considering a resignation over the memo and the reaction from many of Trump's consituents. 'Dan Bongino has told people he is considering resigning as the deputy director of the FBI over the fallout that has continued ever since this memo was released,' Kaitlan Collins said. 'The anger inside the MAGA base has only continued to grow instead of going away as some officials inside hoped it would.' Watch the full conversation between Kelly and Shapiro above. The post Ben Shapiro Says Megyn Kelly's Epstein Sources Are Complicit in One of History's 'Greatest Cover-Ups' | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
