Knesset passes law providing for extensive rehabilitation of Gaza border communities

By Sam Sokol 31 March 2025, 2:03 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"

Israeli soldiers take position at the southern Israeli town of Ofakim on October 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Ilan Assayag)

Lawmakers vote 37-0 to approve the third and final reading of law providing for the extensive rehabilitation of all communities within seven kilometers (4.3 miles) of the Gaza border, defining the region as an area of special focus for activities aimed at the “rapid” return to normal life for the localities affected by the October 7, 2023 attack.

According to the law, over the next seven years, the government will be obligated “to act for the extensive rehabilitation of the [region] in an accelerated manner” and legally establish the role and authority of the Takuma Directorate — a government body established after October 7 and tasked with the region’s rehabilitation.

According to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s spokesman, the directorate’s powers are being expanded “beyond reconstruction” and will now encompass “extensive regional development,” with local authorities set to receive NIS 5 billion ($1.3 billion) for economic, infrastructure and social development — including NIS 1 billion for cities outside the immediate border area, like Ofakim, Netivot and Ashkelon which were affected by the attack.

“From the very first moment I took office as the minister responsible for the Takuma Directorate, I set the promotion of the Reconstruction Law and its approval in the Knesset as a top priority,” says New Hope MK Ze’ev Elkin, who serves as a minister in the Finance Ministry.

“It was clear to me that the delay in promoting the law for many months due to the various disputes in the government prevented the release of critical budgets for the development of the Reconstruction Area, and we must move forward immediately,” he says.

“Along with the reconstruction comes development. The true picture of our victory is not only in restoring the Tekuma Region to its former glory, but also in its development, prosperity and doubling in the number of residents and in regional growth engines,” says Smotrich.

“We look ahead, out of national responsibility, to ensure a strong, prosperous and secure future for the residents of the south,” he continues, calling the passage of the law “the righting of a historical injustice.”