The government cabinet is reviewing a proposed package of assistance for communities near the Gaza border.
The move follows the end of Israel’s Operation Breaking Dawn, which along with the terrorist threats that preceded the operation, prevented farmers from reaching their fields, and families and business owners from carrying out normal daily routines.
The proposal includes assistance for local authorities in the area adjacent to the Gaza Strip via budgeting, prioritizing and advancing payments due to the direct costs they were compelled to bear during the operation.
It also includes – inter alia – assistance regarding emergency preparedness via reinforcing emergency communications systems, solutions for electricity during emergencies, equipping and completing operations centers, and additional portable emergency shelters.
The assistance package is intended to meet the immediate needs of local authorities in the area adjacent to Gaza in order to allow a swift return to routine as well as to meet immediate civilian and security needs in the area that stem from Operation Breaking Dawn and the three days that preceded it, in which security restrictions were placed on the area.
In addition to Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman, Defense Minister Benny Gantz, Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked and Negev and Galilee Development Minister Oded Forer were also involved in the decision.
“Various needs arose in the field during the operation. The fact the operation is over does not mean that these needs no longer exist,” Lapid said. “As we promised, it was important for us to find an immediate solution, to make it easier for local authorities and Gaza border residents.”
“All those who were hurt are entitled to assistance,” Liberman added. “The responses that we are providing will be immediate and we will utilize all means necessary for them to be provided efficiently and without impediments.”
