Katz said to reverse security funding cuts for Gaza border communities, after backlash
Reported decision comes after local leaders and security coordinators warned the cuts would severely undermine safety of frontline towns
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Defense Minister Israel Katz reversed a decision to freeze funding for several security components in Gaza border communities, following widespread backlash from local authorities and security officials, Israeli television reported Tuesday.
The reported reversal came a day after the Home Front Command informed communities that, due to budget constraints, it would halt funding for items including security vehicle maintenance, fuel and perimeter fence lighting.
The original decision sparked outrage among local leaders and security coordinators, who warned the cuts would severely undermine the safety of frontline communities.
The Home Front Command said the existing budget would allow for “basic maintenance only.”
“This means that we are stopping everything — vehicles, fuel, lighting, and gates,” a police officer who spoke with Channel 12 news said of the reduced funding.
“Apparently, peace broke out, and they forgot to update us,” the officer was quoted as saying bitterly. “Someone here got totally confused. It wasn’t enough that we were abandoned once.”
The cuts were announced after the government approved the distribution of billions of shekels in coalition funds as part of the 2026 budget.
Eshkol Regional Council chief Michal Uziyahu asserted the announcement was made “surprisingly and without any prior coordination.”
Uziyahu said municipal leaders were meeting to discuss the importance of security components and the security gaps in the localities with Katz, representatives of his office and security establishment officials when the announcement was made.
Feelings of safety among Gaza border residents are declining, with only one in four people trusting government bodies, according to a report conducted by the Tekuma Directorate, which is overseeing the rehabilitation of the region in the wake of the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led invasion from Gaza that devastated the region.
The report, in conjunction with the Central Bureau of Statistics, was issued earlier this month and showed that just 23 percent of those surveyed feel very or somewhat safe living in the Gaza border area, down from 35% in 2024.
The residents of the Gaza border communities have accused the government and the security forces of failing to protect them and not investing enough to prevent the October 7 atrocities and kidnappings.
The Times of Israel Community.