The Cabinet today (Tuesday), in a teleconference vote, approved a 0.06% across-the-board cut in the 2023 fiscal year budgets for the Government ministries so that the Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs may continue – until the end of the year – to provide humanitarian assistance to Ukrainian nationals who fled the war in their country and are ineligible under the Law of Return, in order to maintain continuity of coverage from 9 August 2023, as per the relevant procedures that have been set.
The decision regarding the continued provision of assistance and its method of financing beyond 2023 will be submitted in a separate Government decision.
The government had previously warned that it would not be able to extend the aid due to a lack of funds. The budget cuts will allow the aid to continue through the end of 2023.
14,000 Ukrainian refugees in Israel have received this aid so far. The aid consists of health insurance and social assistance benefits.