Five suspects were arrested for allegedly taking tens of millions of shekels in public aid funds set aside to help those impacted by the war, Israel Police announced on Monday.
The suspects were identified after a joint investigation between the Northern District police and the National Insurance Institute.
The stolen funds were set to be awarded to evacuees who returned to work at least 11 days a month. Those who returned received NIS 3,000 in a monthly grant but were expected to declare their eligibility through a government site. However, it was found that in thousands of cases, funds were being claimed without legal entitlement.
During the investigation, dozens of citizens who made a false statement were questioned - many of whom testified that other parties "hunted" potential clients by various means in order to take the grants.
The suspects
Israel Police raided the homes of the five suspects in Deir al-Assad, Kisra Sumia, Uzir, Nazareth, and Beit Jan.
In total, it is believed the five individuals misappropriated tens of millions of shekels.