Israel's Ministry of Tourism saves Country USD 700 million on aiding evacuees
The ministry reported that as of the six month mark since the start of the war in Gaza, there are about 27,000 evacuees staying in hotels around the country - 6,000 from the south and 21,000 from the north.
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TEL AVIV: Israel's Ministry of Tourism said that it saved the state coffers about 2.5 billion Shekels (USD 700 million) when it paid a subsistence allowance to evacuees from frontline communities near Gaza and the border with Lebanon who chose not to stay in hotels.
The ministry reported that as of the six month mark since the start of the war in Gaza, there are about 27,000 evacuees staying in hotels around the country - 6,000 from the south and 21,000 from the north.
The Ministry of Tourism paid 3.2 billion Shekels ($870 million) to hotels housing evacuees.
The Israel Ministry of Tourism placed over 60,000 evacuees in hotels, taking into account personal needs and preferences
The ministry handled about 15,000 appeals related to National Insurance grants.
For the past six months, the Ministry of Tourism has been operating a control room for evacuees, staffed by dozens of ministry employees. At the beginning of the war, the control room worked 24/7 and solved various types of problems for the evacuees.
These included, among others, family reunification, providing additional rooms for children over the age of 12, obtaining the hotel's consent to allow pets, responding to those with special needs and those with disabilities. To date, the control room has handled tens of thousands of applications.
Evacuees can choose between three routes: Hotel - full board. Food, lodging, cleaning, laundry, etc.; Independent living in the community - evacuees receive a grant of 200 Shekels ($55) per adult and 100 Shekels per child per day.
A family of two adults and two children receive 18,000 Shekels (USD 4,900) net per month, while a family with three children receive 21,000 Shekels (USD 5,700) and so on; Apartments for rent at the expense of the state without a subsistence allowance. This option is intended for evacuees who do not want to stay in a hotel, but also do not want to rent an apartment themselves. The state rents apartments for them, but does not provide a subsistence allowance.