The government must increase compensation for victims of the Hamas attack on southern Israel, the Homeward Forum, which includes 11 southern communities impacted significantly on October 7, said this week.
If government compensation is not increased, it will incentivize victims to seek handicapped status from Israel's National Insurance Institute in order to receive proper compensation, the forum added.
The Knesset's Labor and Welfare Committee is set to meet soon to approve a government proposal for compensation for residents of the Gaza border communities who do not apply for status through the NII, said the forum. This compensation is set to be between 7,000 and 30,000 NIS per person.
These amounts are insufficient to support this population, the forum said, stressing the severity of the impact of the events of October 7 on residents of the border region.
"The amounts in question do not provide residents with the minimum needed to begin rebuilding their lives."
"Whoever was lucky enough not to be physically hurt may suffer from significant mental health impacts because of the intensity of the events and the heavy price they exacted," said the forum.
The forum called on MKs in the Knesset committee to vote to reject the proposed arrangement until the compensation amounts are tripled.
Compensation meant to help those who don't want to face NII committees, concerned with stigmas
The compensation offered to victims outside of the NII framework is meant to provide a solution to those who do not want to face NII medical committees or who may be concerned with the stigma and social repercussions of NII labels, the forum said.
On the one hand, "The State of Israel acknowledges the victims' desire to avoid being classified as disabled, yet on the other hand, it significantly incentivizes pursuing this process—where residents would receive a substantial and significant grant."
The forum also claimed that the amounts offered are significantly lower than those offered to victims of past disasters in similar arrangements.
“If such a decision is made and the compensation is set as the [government] committee determined, the state would essentially drive residents to the National Insurance committees to receive full and substantial compensation by assigning disability percentages, effectively turning an entire region into a 'disabled' area," said forum head Ziv Mazliach.
"Currently, many residents do not wish to undergo this process and be recognized as disabled, with all the implications that entails.”