Israel Unveils NIS 1B Plan to Develop Area Near Gaza Strip

By: TPS

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened on Sunday the council heads from the area adjacent to the Gaza Strip to update them on details of the over NIS 1 billion plan to “strengthen civilian resilience” in the city of Sderot and the communities in the area.

Finance Minister Yisrael Katz and Interior Minister Aryeh Deri attended the online conference.

Netanyahu said that after the government announced in November the establishment of a new community in the area adjacent to the Gaza Strip, today it has “more good news” – a wide-ranging NIS 1 billion assistance plan for the communities in the area.

The plan includes tax benefits and property tax discounts, growth engines such as the development of the agritech sector, boosts to social services, and investments in education and infrastructure development.

“We will continue to support and advance the area adjacent to the Gaza Strip,” he stated.

A separate plan for the southern city of Ashkelon is in development.

“According to what we are seeing, in both the area adjacent to the Gaza Strip and in Ashkelon, there is a growing demand for apartments. People want to come, including to the new community. I think that this says everything,” Netanyahu said.

“Strengthening of the civilian resilience” and momentum in the area are “the true answer to the terrorist organizations. They come to uproot and we come to plant,” he added.

Finance Minister Katz said the plan “will promote economic development for the residents of the area, strengthen the stability of the local authorities and create new jobs in the area.”

Interior Minister Deri noted that Israel’s marked Ben Gurion Day on Sunday “and this is an excellent day for an additional significant strengthening of the communities in the area adjacent to the Gaza Strip. Residents of the area are the true pioneers of our time.”

The goal of the plan is to strengthen community support networks, strengthen and develop the local economy and strengthen local authorities.

In other news, an airstrike carried by the Israeli Air Force (IAF) on Saturday night in Al-Bukamal killed 15 Iranian-backed militiamen, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported Sunday.

The SOHR reported that aircraft, “believed to be Israeli” hit the Iranian targets, situated on Syria’s border with Iraq.

Afghan and Iraqi pro-Iranian militiamen were killed in the bombing, which targeted newly-built positions. Two positions and vehicles were also destroyed in the attack.

Israel has remained silent on the reports.

The Al-Bukamal border crossing with Iraq was built to serve as a land bridge between Iran and Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea, posing a new threat to Israel’s security.

(TPS)