02-07-2025
Comptroller annual report: 67% of public complaints about Israel-Hamas War justified
The annual report is an important indicator of where public dissatisfaction lies, and can indicate to the government specific improvement points.
There were 21,592 complaints about public authorities in 2024, and just under half (46%) were justified or had already been rectified, the office of Matanyahu Engleman, State Comptroller and Ombudsman, announced on Tuesday.
The annual report is an important indicator of where public dissatisfaction lies, and can indicate to the government specific improvement points.
On October 12, 2023, just five days after Hamas's massacre, the State Comptroller's Office opened a hotline to gather complaints and requests, and clarify people's rights for them. Its representatives visited 90 evacuee sites throughout the country. From October 7, 2023, to December 31, 2024, the ombudsman received 3,872 complaints related specifically to the war – 2,269 of them from 2024 alone. Over half (67.1%) were found to be justified.
By far, complaints regarding theNational Security Ministry outweigh the rest, at 1,577 complaints and at a 500% increase from 2023 – mostly concerning the hundreds of thousands of requests for personal weapons licenses, which caused delays in the process, leading to complaints – 85% of which were justified.
'A 500% rise in complaints on the matter of requests for personal weapons licenses demands a thorough examination of the management of this office. By the end of 2024 – over a year after theIsrael-Hamas War began, there had been thousands of justified criticisms of government offices. It is on the national security minister and the other relevant ministers to prioritize public service and make the necessary changes,' Engleman said.
Up next was the National Insurance Institute (NII) at 370 complaints, mostly regarding war-related compensations, and the Israel Tax Authority (ITA) at 338 complaints, regarding compensation grants.
The Tourism Ministry received 171 complaints, dealing with alternative housing locations for evacuees and those whose homes were damaged in the war, while 139 complaints were regarding the Ashkelon municipality, concerning grants and treatment of evacuees.
These issues characterize the issues of the war itself. From the start of the war until 2024, 999 complaints were levied by evacuees regarding the emergency situation, making up 26% of such complaints.
One example was a Nova music festival victim who continued receiving electric bills to his address, even after his murder, including demands for interest. His parents complained to the ombudsman and got the bills canceled, a saga they said caused them much disgust and frustration.
Another was in Nahariya, where a children's kindergarten didn't have a shelter nearby. A complaint to the ombudsman got it set up.
Overall, around NIS 10 million were granted to citizens who made requests through the Ombudsman's office.
The annual report details that 33% of the complaints were about public service, 9% about education, 7% consumerism, 5% licensing, and 4% health and taxes.
Nearly all the complaints took 59 days to be dealt with, even though they were not complicated enough to warrant such a long waiting time.
The complaints against the Labor Ministry were found to be 72% justified, and of those against the Israel Postal Company, 60% were justified.
Complaints to the Transport Ministry, in contrast, dropped by 15%.
By gender, men submitted more complaints (59.1%) than women (40.1%).
