Gaza border communities to undergo NIS 326m. development project
The centerpiece of the project is the establishment of a NIS 95m innovation center that will serve as a startup, academic, and entrepeneurial hub.
The Tekuma Regional Administration, in collaboration with the Negev, Galilee, and National Resilience Ministry, announced on Monday an investment of NIS 326 million to establish, renovate, and equip key public institutions across the Gaza border communities.
“We are delighted to have the privilege of being partners together with the localities, local authorities, and the Reconstruction Administration in the growth of the region,” Yohanan Mali, Director-General of the Negev, Galilee, and National Resilience Ministry, said.
“The projects being proposed will bring about real growth and an improvement in the quality of life of the residents and are another exciting step in the transition we are making together from reconstruction to growth.”
To receive funding, local authorities will be required to demonstrate the public need and the potential impact of the proposed projects.
A centerpiece of the initiative is the establishment of a NIS 95 million innovation center in the Sha’ar HaNegev Regional Council, with NIS 48 million coming from the Tekuma Administration’s budget.
Israeli army on the southern border with Gaza. October 16, 2025. (credit: Tsafrir Abayov/Flash90)
A hub of economic development
Located near Sapir College, the Sderot train station, and Highway 34, the center will serve as a hub for dozens of startups, encouraging collaboration between academia, local industry, and entrepreneurs. The center is expected to play a critical role in boosting the region’s economic development and creating long-term opportunities for local innovation.
In addition to the innovation center, the Tekuma Regional Administration will also be funding a regional rehabilitation center in Eshkol, a technological center in Shadmot, a cultural hall and conservatory in Ashkelon Beach, and a protected culture and conference center in Sderot.
The NIS 326 million investment will also be allocated equitably across communities in the Tekuma region, with funding distributed based on criteria such as population size, level of impact, socio-economic status, and regional priorities to help provide residents with new social, educational, and cultural opportunities.
“We continue to build the future of the region of revival out of great faith in the people and communities who live here,” Negev, Galilee, and National Resilience Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf added. “The investment in cultural, resilience, and innovation centers is an investment in the beating heart of settlement in the Negev and the South.”
“This is a move that expresses the resilience, creativity, and Israeli spirit that raise their heads after a difficult period, and turn the reconstruction into an opportunity for renewed growth and true regional prosperity,” Wasserlauf concluded.
