The Prime Minister's Office, as well as the Finance, Defense, and Social Equality ministries announced on Wednesday that recently released lone soldiers will receive housing grant to the sum of NIS 4,000.
The grant is meant to help lone soldiers, who either do not have families in Israel or lack financial support, better handle the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus outbreak.To qualify for the grant, the soldier must be in the first year of their release and had a "housing lease in effect during the crisis period (from the beginning of March until May 31st, 2020)." The funds will be wired to the former lone soldiers' bank accounts upon filing the request.
Earlier this week, lawmaker Zvi Hauser (Derech Eretz) urged Defense Minister Naftali Bennett to release funds for lone soldiers who have been recently released from the military since many are facing financial stress due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
“I urge the Minister of Defense to allow the deposit for lone soldiers to be released immediately and allow them to withdraw the money,” Hauser wrote, adding that the funds are earmarked for them “and they need it to survive during the coronavirus crisis.”
While other MKs have urged that all newly released soldiers get their deposit as soon as possible, Hauser had stated that the State should do “everything possible” to help newly released lone soldiers who have no support.
“The lone soldiers came to Israel to serve in the IDF, contributed to the state, and have linked their fate to the State of Israel. After their release, many of them are now in a crisis because they are not eligible for unemployment benefits and do not have a family to support them,” he said. “It is our duty to do everything possible to help the newly released lone soldiers during the crisis, not abandon them after they have contributed to the country and allow them to start a new life in Israel.”
At the height of the coronavirus pandemic, the IDF distributed “rapid grants” of NIS 600 (around $170) to the 6,000 lone soldiers in the military and another 3,000 troops who required financial assistance. One time grants of between NIS 500 to NIS 1,200 ($140-$330) were also distributed to soldiers who are married with children.
But with 1.15 million people unemployed in Israel (compared to just 3.9% before the crisis hit), many Israeli have found themselves in severe financial distress, especially lone soldiers who relied on external jobs to make ends meet.
On Sunday some 100 newly discharged lone soldiers demonstrated in front of the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, calling on the Defense Ministry for assistance as they have no parents to live with or any financial support.
With many discharged less than six months before the coronavirus pandemic, they do not qualify for unemployment benefits from the state because they have not accumulated enough time as citizens with employment.