Mifal Hapais, Israel’s national lottery, has approved an emergency assistance package of up to NIS 20 million for local authorities coping with the mass evacuation triggered by Iran’s nationwide missile barrage during Operation Rising Lion, the company said Tuesday in a press release.
Under the plan, municipalities hosting evacuees will receive direct grants calculated by population size: authorities with more than 100,000 residents are eligible for NIS 1 million each, while smaller authorities will receive NIS 500,000. The Home Front Command will certify which municipalities qualify, and additional communities may be added later “subject to the remaining approved budget,” the statement said.
The funds are earmarked for urgent welfare, logistics and equipment needs selected by each municipality and will be distributed under reporting and oversight rules set by Mifal Hapais management.
“Mifal Hapais views this support to local authorities as a national mission for the entire people of Israel and will continue to invest, together with the municipalities, significant resources to rebuild Israeli society,” CEO Adv. Benny Dreyfus said.
High-quality solutions for evacuee
Local authorities are facing “heavy workloads and an immediate need for budgetary assistance that will allow them to keep providing fast, high-quality solutions for evacuees,” Dreyfus added. He noted that the lottery funneled “tens of millions of shekels” to hard-hit cities in earlier phases of the war.
Haim Bibas, chair of the Federation of Local Authorities in Israel, called municipalities “the front line of the home front,” adding that they “mobilize immediately, offer evacuation, welfare and supplies, and do so with dedication and speed. In an emergency, aid must reach the authorities instantly and without needless bureaucracy.”
Shai Hajaj, head of the Merhavim Regional Council and chair of the Center of Regional Councils, praised the grant as “an expression of deep commitment to national resilience, to the home front, to the affected families and to the local authorities dealing with every aspect of the damage. We will keep helping residents wherever and whenever needed.”
According to the press release, the lottery’s board first joined Israel’s national emergency framework during the 2023 Iron Swords war, setting up a joint headquarters with local government to channel welfare aid. Tuesday’s allocation is intended to ensure municipalities can sustain that effort as incoming rocket fire continues.