The State of Israel is set to evict 100 Ukrainian refugees who are currently living in state-sponsored housing that Israel had provided for them free of charge earlier this year.
While this arrangement had continued unchanged up until now, last week the state informed them that they are being evicted and should look for living solutions on their own, N12 reported on Wednesday.
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, 15,000 non-Jewish refugees have fled the conflict to Israel. Some of them initially stayed with relatives or acquaintances, but as the months of war dragged on, they had to look for alternative living arrangements.
Speaking to N12, Angela recounted how she had fled Ukraine in March with her mother-in-law and two sons, aged 6 and 7, with the eldest having special needs. In the first months of the war, they stayed with Israeli relatives, but had to soon relocate as the apartment they were all staying in was too small.
They applied to the Welfare Ministry for assistance and received state-sponsored housing, sharing the space with two other refugee families in an apartment in Ashdod.
"We've been in the country for nine months. It's quite difficult, especially when there's a child with special needs. It's to be constantly on alert; we don't know what will happen next," Angela, who was asked to vacate her apartment last week, told N12.
"Our city of Mykolaiv is still being bombed – it's terrible."
What will the refugees do?
Speaking to N12, Galina and Igor Yarmonov said that while they were grateful for the assistance they had received up until now from the government officials and volunteers, they are frustrated and concerned about the upcoming eviction, especially as Igor uses a wheelchair and requires extra assistance.
"Where will I take Igor?" asks Galina. "Should we take the wheelchair and bags, go to the beach and set up a tent there? Where will we go?"
"We are very grateful to everyone who helped us, from the officials to the volunteers we meet, but where will I take Igor? Should we take the wheelchair and bags, go to the beach and set up a tent there? Where will we go?"
Galina Yarmonov
Moshe Shalev, chairman of the Shalu group which provides apartments for refugees in cooperation with the Welfare and Social Affairs Ministry, said that "the refugees are told to simply 'get out' without being given a solution.
"They are expecting that I'll be the one to do the dirty work, that I'll throw them out – it won't happen. I will not take them out in any way."
Ukrainian refugees are not officially recognized as refugees in Israel, leaving them unable to open bank accounts or find legal work, and the state has turned a blind eye to the issue.
Responding to the queries over the decision to evict the Ukrainian refugees, the Welfare Ministry stated: "The contract with one of the operators hosting the war refugees has come to an end, and tenants who are unable to finance accommodation due to a medical or physical condition have been offered alternatives in a hotel.
"The period of state-sponsored residence for the war refugees was initially limited to three months and has been extended time and time again."