The Knesset passed into law on Monday a bill that expands the activity of the Tkuma (rebirth) directorate, charged with rehabilitation of the southern communities harmed in the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
Following the passing of the law, the directorate will be responsible for development in the South as well as rehabilitation. The law also determines what the aid will be for cities near the previously defined rehabilitation area – the Tkuma region. These cities include Netivot, Sderot, and Ofakim.
With the passing of the law, NIS 5 billion from the directorate’s NIS 19b. budget will be released for economic, social, and infrastructure development, NIS 4b. will be released for the communities in the area, and another NIS 1b. will be released for the communities hardest hit by the Hamas attack.
The delay in funding
Previous failure to define the area that was included in the Tkuma region led to a delay in the funding of rehabilitation projects to the tune of NIS 5b., according to the interim findings of a report by State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman on Western Negev rehabilitation in the wake of October 7, released in February.
In October 2023, the government defined the region eligible for rehabilitation funding following the devastating Hamas attack as covering an area of up to 7 km. from the border with Gaza. Two months later, however, it was decided that the borders would be reexamined by the Prime Minister’s Office in cooperation with the finance and defense ministries.
Ze’ev Elkin, a minister in the Finance Ministry said on Monday that he made passing the law a priority, adding that it was clear to him that “delaying the law’s advancement for many months because of disagreements within the government prevented the transfer of critical budgets for the development of the Tkuma region.”
“From now, we at the Tkuma directorate will all be dedicated to advancing the many projects that were freed up along with the passage of the law.”
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said, "Alongside rehabilitation comes development. Our true victory is not just in restoring the Tkuma region but in its development, prosperity, and the doubling of its population and regional growth engines.”