Israel to fund 'replacement salaries' for Gaza hostages

The Israeli government approved on Sunday to pay the salaries of the hostages held by Hamas retroactively from October 7 in order to provide assistance to their families until they return home. 

As of October 7, the families of the hostages faced numerous challenges, several of which include financial issues. The decision that was made on Sunday was an effort to address the current expenses of the hostages and the needs of their families. 

This decision was made after extensive inter-ministerial staff work, in which the Prime Minister’s Office; the Directorate of Abductees, Missing Persons and Returnees; the Labor Ministry; the National Insurance Institute (NII); the Justice Ministry; and the Finance Ministry convened and agreed that the “replacement salary” would be based on the calculation of the hostage's previous salary. 

Director-General of the NII Yarona Shalom said, “Each person is a whole world. And every hostage had a whole and full life in Israel before the terrible disaster of October 7. The deductions and debts continue to exist while they are far from us. At the NII, we continue to accompany the families, including assisting in legislation and its implementation to provide additional assistance given the harsh reality that has been imposed on all of us."

Government bodies collaborate to provide salaries

The “replacement salary” will be given to Israeli resident hostages by the NII in accordance with the agreement and section 9 of the National Insurance Law. This legislation will be signed in the coming days and brought to the discussion of the Knesset Labor Committee and for the foreign hostages by the Population Authority. 

The government’s decision arrangement will be submitted to permanent legislation, and the drafted law will be submitted for approval by the government within 75 days. 

Labor Minister Yoav Ben-Tzur said of the decision, “The families of the hostages are coping with courage and strength against the intense longing for their loved ones and the tremendous efforts to free them. The hostages are all of our children, and these days, the Israeli government is working even harder politically and militarily to return them to their families as soon as possible.

“The Labor Ministry, under my leadership, will continue to stand firmly, providing guidance, assistance, and economic support to the families, giving them an anchor and a shoulder to lean on in their mental struggle to overcome the complex challenges imposed on them following the abduction of their loved ones.”

There are currently 136 hostages in Gaza, including 32 who are believed dead, according to the IDF.