Poverty In Israel

Israeli citizens are suffering from an ongoing poverty crisis as a result of both local and regional conflict and growing disparities in wages and salaries. Over 3 million Israelis qualify for the terms of poverty, defined as a significant deprivation in relation to basic living needs and conditions. This number includes over 1,240,000 children—nearly 40% of the nation’s child population.

The realities of Israeli poverty are stark. Nearly 80% of government aid recipients report food insecurity, and over 62% report regularly skipping meals because they couldn’t afford them.

Half of parents suffering from poverty in Israel had to give up or reduce infant formula for their babies, compared to the 12% of the non-impoverished general population. With 22-29% of the Israeli population suffering from poverty, aid is critically needed.

Debt is, unsurprisingly, a crippling burden to Israelis suffering under the poverty line. Over 78% of impoverished households report outstanding loans, which is nearly triple the 26% of non-impoverished households in the general population.

When forced to choose between paying for meals or paying for home repairs, most families are choosing food—over 69% of the population cannot afford meaningful repairs. Energy is similarly rationed and unaffordable; over 84% of poverty-stricken households report energy shortages, and 22% have been disconnected entirely.

The emotional state of children 

The emotional state of children of aid recipients was also more significantly impacted by the war, with nearly 47% of recipients’ children reporting that the war had a significant impact, compared to 14.5% of children in the general population.

Some 85.4% of families who received aid reported that they could not afford tutoring, 84.7% could not afford extracurriculars, 71% could not keep up with school payments, and 51.4% could not afford frameworks for their infants and toddlers. Over 70% could not afford medicine and did not purchase it or receive necessary medical treatment. Nearly 70% of those who received aid forfeited fixing serious problems in their apartments because of economic constraints. Over 22% of those who received aid reported that they were disconnected from electricity, and another nearly 27% reported that they were not disconnected but received a warning letter!