Victims of Hostilities

A hostilities-related injury is a direct result of hostilities perpetrated by enemy forces, or an injury caused as a result of, or in connection with, hostilities (an injury sustained under circumstances that are reasonably presumed to be the result of hostilities, or an injury from a weapon that was intended to be used for hostilities by enemy forces, or to prevent such an action), or an injury resulting from an act of violence whose purpose was to harm people because of their national, ethnic origin, provided that it arises from the Israeli-Arab conflict or was committed by a terrorist organization.

         You are Israeli resident (whether the injury occurred in Israel or in the territories of Judea, Samaria and Gaza, or outside of Israel).

         You are an Israeli citizen and have sustained an injury that occurred in Israel or in the territories of Judea, Samaria and Gaza.

        You are an Israeli citizen and less than a year has passed since the time you ceased to be an Israeli resident and were injured outside of Israel.

        You do not have Israeli citizenship, but you entered Israel legally under the Entry into Israel Law, or you do not require a visa (such as those with diplomatic passports or tourists from a country with which Israel has a visa exemption, etc.) - and you were injured within the territory of the State of Israel or in the territories of Judea, Samaria and the Gaza strip.

        You are a resident of the territories with an Israeli identity card and were injured within the area of the Green Line.

        You are a resident of the territories and you have an entry permit from the IDF commander in the region and you were injured within the area of the Green Line.

         You are a foreign resident and were injured during, and as a result of, your work abroad for an Israeli employer.

        If you were injured in hostilities abroad, and you are entitled to compensation under the laws of the country in which you were injured or the country in which you are a resident, you are not entitled to benefits under the Benefits for Victims of Hostilities Law.

Israeli embassies and consulates around the world, various diplomatic missions and the following Israeli companies operating abroad, are deemed an “employer”.

A person whose life is centered in Israel. Among the criteria for determining residence in this context: permanent place of residence, place at which the family is staying, place of the children's education, main place of work, place of learning.

Immediately after the event, rehabilitation workers (specially trained social workers) contact the victims and their families and from then on, they are available to provide counseling, training and guidance with any problem - emotional, social and family-related. They also guide family members in how to exercise their rights and obtain the various services that are due to them.

The Rehabilitation Department reimburses family members for the expenses of those injured in hostilities. The assistance is provided to immediate members of the family.

A claim for a benefit during medical treatment should be submitted on the form Notification of injury during hostilities and claim for a medical treatment benefit. A canceled check or certification from the applicant's bank containing the bank account number and details of the branch in which the account is conducted must be attached to the claim. The claim must be submitted within one year from the date of the injury. A claim that is not submitted in timely fashion may impair your rights to the benefits.

A person injured in hostilities who is not capable of working (according to a medical certificate or as certified by an NII doctor) is entitled, during that period, to a medical treatment benefit (MTB), provided that he is not being paid a salary or other compensation during that period of time.

Other benefits paid to him during that period of time are deducted from this benefit.

Period of payment: Up to 9 months from the date of the injury. Payment after 9 months is contingent upon approval by the National Insurance Institute's Office of Medical Affairs.

Medical treatment for a person injured in hostilities includes hospitalization and treatment of injuries sustained as a result of the attack (including dental treatment, medication, medical aids, recuperation and rehabilitation). Medical treatment can be obtained in government hospitals and at the health funds, based on National Insurance Institute authorization that the injury was recognized as a hostilities-related injury, and based on a financial undertaking by the NII.

The injured person is also entitled to first aid from Magen David Adom and from any doctor or medical institution near the place of the injury.

The National Insurance Institute does not reimburse expenses for private medical treatment.

In addition to the emotional assistance given by the rehabilitation workers, disabled people who have trouble with routine functioning are entitled to the funding of emotional treatment by a psychologist when, in the assessment of the rehabilitation worker, the treatment is likely to improve his emotional and functional condition and to contribute to the success of the rehabilitation program. Funding of the treatment is contingent upon agreement between the entitled person and the rehabilitation worker regarding the problems that require treatment, the treatment objectives, and evaluation of the ability to be assisted by treatment and the type, frequency and duration of the treatment.

A claim or benefits should be submitted on the form Application to establish a degree of disability and payment of disability benefit and it is contingent upon the approval of the competent authority at the Ministry of Defense. A canceled check or certification from the applicant's bank showing the bank account number and details of the branch in which the account is managed must be attached to the claim. The benefit is deposited in the claimant's bank account on the first of each month for the previous month. If you wish to change the place of payment, you must submit a request on the form Notification of revision of personal details, and attach a canceled check or certification from the  bank showing the bank account number and details of the branch in which the account is managed. The claim for the benefit must be submitted within one year from the date of the injury. A claim that is not submitted in timely fashion may impair your rights to the benefits.

A person injured in hostilities who submits a claim for a disability benefit is summoned to appear before a medical committee, which is authorized to establish the degree of his disability, for a temporary period of time or permanently, according to the severity of the injury.

If you are not satisfied with the decision of the medical committee, you may appeal the decision to the medical appeals board. The appeal must be submitted within a month from the date of receipt of the decision (in special cases, the deadline can be extended by two months. After that time, it will no longer be legally possible to handle the appeal).

 Disabled people for whom the medical committee has established a 10% temporary or permanent degree of disability are entitled to disability benefits (a degree of disability below 10% does not entitle you to a benefit). The benefits are paid as a lump sum grant or a monthly allowance.

If a disabled person is entitled to disability benefits under the Compensation to Victims of Hostilities Law and, as a result of the same event, he is also entitled to one of the following benefits, he must choose one of them:

General disability
Any other benefit from the Ministry of Finance (except for reparations from Germany).
Compensation under the Civil Torts Law - if the disability was caused by a civil entity.
A hostilities-related injury that is also a work injury - if a hostilities related injury occurred during working hours or en route from home to work or from work to home.

Disabled people who live abroad on a permanent basis are entitled to a monthly benefit in accordance with the percentage of disability established for them by the medical committee, and as specified in the section on Disability Benefits, provided that once a year they submit a “Life Certificate” approved by an Israeli consulate or notary public.

The special payments are intended for disabled persons who, because of their disability – recognized as the result of a hostile action – or because of their personal statistics (age, physical condition unconnected with any hostile action, level of schooling, work experience, etc.) do not have a sufficient income to support themselves. Disabled persons who wish to receive a special payment must fill out a request form and attach to it authorizations of income, medical authorizations and any additional relevant authorizations in accordance with the particular type of special payment requested. Eligibility to receive a special payment is based on defined criteria and is conditional upon the recipient’s cooperation within the context of the rehabilitation process. Eligibility for payment is from the date of the submission of the request.