Israel grants NIS 3.25 billion in benefits to career IDF officers, mandatory service soldiers
Israel approved NIS 3.25b. in aid for IDF soldiers and officers to ease financial hardships caused by the war.
The government and the IDF announced on Sunday that they were granting NIS 3.25 billion additional benefits to career officers and mandatory service soldiers to help them with the drastic additional crunch the war has placed on their lives, beyond the difficulties that the whole country has gone through.
Some of these funds would replace lost salaries of their spouses who lost their jobs due to caring for the officer-soldier who may have been physically or emotionally harmed so badly as to need regular care.
Other funds will help them receive financial benefits if they missed the opportunity to use special grants for academic studies or other benefits.
There will be payments for IDF career track officers
Additional funds will facilitate IDF career track officers and their families in getting discounts and making various payments using a special internal IDF digital platform.
Further, some of the funds will subsidize the housing needs of military personnel.
Israeli minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich attends a Finance committee meeting, at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on January 13, 2025. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)
A joint message was sent out about the financial grant and new policies by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich, with separate information being distributed by the IDF.
The announcement comes as the government takes heat for failing to draft haredim throughout the two-year war, with a potential new bill exempting large numbers of haredim being sponsored by some government officials, and with Smotrich threatening to cut the IDF’s budget in a variety of areas now that the war is likely over.
