Tel Aviv [Israel], April 7 (ANI/TPS): Following an investigation by the Northern District police and Israel’s National Insurance Institute, five suspects were arrested on Monday for allegedly operating a network that embezzled public assistance funds earmarked for victims of the wars in Gaza and Lebanon.
According to the Israel Police, tens of millions of shekels were fraudulently disbursed from public coffers during the “Iron Swords” war in Gaza.
In response to the war and a labor market crisis in northern Israel, the government had implemented a support program offering monthly grants of 3,000 shekels (approximately USD 788). These were intended for evacuees who returned to work, as well as individuals working part-time or full-time in communities evacuated due to security threats—provided they had attended their workplace for at least 11 days in a given month.
Police allege that thousands of grant payments were made to individuals who did not meet the eligibility criteria.
Once the investigation became public, law enforcement raided the homes of the five suspects—residents of Deir al-Assad, Kisra Sumia, Uzir, Nazareth, and Beit Jan—and placed them under arrest.
The suspects are believed to have orchestrated a fraudulent scheme involving the distribution of state funds, personally profiting by collecting hundreds of thousands of shekels in commissions from citizens who were falsely promised direct payouts into their private accounts. (ANI/TPS)
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