Government announces NIS 100 million in aid to regional councils for wartime expenses

By Sam Sokol 31 March 2026, 6:32 pm

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Sam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"

Iron Dome interceptors go up behind a group of Israeli soldiers along the border with Lebanon, in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel, on March 21, 2026. (Odd ANDERSEN / AFP)

In a joint statement, the Prime Minister’s Office, Finance Ministry and Interior Ministry announce the government’s approval of NIS 100 million ($31.6 million) in “immediate aid” to regional councils for dealing with “emergency expenditures” due to the war with Iran.

According to the government, the purpose of the funds is to “ensure their continuous functional continuity and the provision of essential services to residents during the emergency.”

The statement says that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had ordered that “a dedicated financial compensation plan be brought forward as soon as possible…in accordance with criteria to be determined by the Finance and Interior Ministries.”

“The plan includes a basic grant for all authorities, alongside a dedicated addition for authorities that were more significantly affected, depending on the scope of the activity and the actual damage. In addition, it was agreed that as the campaign continues, additional amounts will be allocated to assist the authorities,” the statement adds.

Earlier this month, representatives of the Confrontation Line Forum, Sdot Negev Regional Council and other local governmental bodies on the northern and Gaza borders wrote to Netanyahu to protest the decision to impose a government-wide three percent cut to spending, which they said would harm programs “intended for the rehabilitation and development of the confrontation areas and the Gaza perimeter.”

In a letter to Smotrich signed by both coalition and opposition lawmakers, Otzma Yehudit MK Yitzhak Kroizer wrote that the cut to such programs would total around NIS 150 million ($47.5 million), more than the amount announced this evening.

The mayors of several northern communities severely criticized Netanyahu after a meeting with him on Sunday, during which he was presented with demands for increased physical protection for towns and tax benefits for residents of that embattled region.

Metula Regional Council chief David Azoulay, who skipped the meeting, told the Walla news site that he has “heard enough from [Netanyahu], I no longer believe the talk and declarations.”