The government is set to approve the recommendations of a public committee on Sunday regarding compensation for populations that have been directly impacted by the October 7 massacre and have not been defined as victims of terror by the Compensation for Victims of Hostile Action Act, according to KAN news on Sunday.
The act grants "social benefits for victims of terrorism and their families."
The Public Committee, headed by Prof. Aviad Cohen, was appointed by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in a bid to respond to the needs of those who have been affected by the October 7 massacre.
The committee was created as a result of the extent and severity of the harm caused on October 7 and the legislature regarding aid to victims of terror attacks subsequently being insufficient.
According to KAN, the compensation will be granted to bereaved families, hostages' families, residents of Ofakim, and those who have been categorized as victims of terror but do not meet the criteria for recognition as disabled.
The rehabilitation basket and various grants amount to the sum of NIS 1 billion, KAN stated, adding that the aid would be divided into three categories and sums of different amounts would be allocated to adults and children.
The allocated funds range from NIS 7,180 to NIS28,720 for adults and NIS 1,436 to NIS 5,744 for children.
Smotrich comments
"The terrible massacre that happened to us on the day of Simchat Torah affected many populations in the State of Israel in an unprecedented way," Smotrich was cited by KAN.
The finance minister further noted that by approving the committee's recommendation, "we will continue to give the citizens of Israel the appropriate and broad framework to deal with the consequences of the unbearably difficult events we experienced on the day of Simchat Torah.
He further added that the government would "work for the restoration" of the Gaza border communities in addition to the security of the citizens of Israel in both the South and North.
Eve Young contributed to this report.