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Financing of Expenses for Families of Prisoners of War, Abductees and Missing Persons Law, 5768-2008

חוק מימון הוצאות למשפחות שבויים, חטופים ונעדרים, תשס"ח-2008

Published: 2008-08-07Consolidated Hebrew text as of 2026-07-07 · Last amended 2025-04-02✓ Amendment status checked against the Knesset legislation record on 2026-09-29
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Unofficial English translation — for reference only. It may contain errors or omissions and cannot be relied on as a legal text. Only the Hebrew text published in Reshumot is legally binding.More

This English text was translated from the official Hebrew using a range of translation tools, and it undergoes ongoing checks and updates. It is not a certified translation.

Despite these checks, it may contain errors, omissions, or imprecise renderings of legal terminology and cross-references, and it may not yet reflect the latest amendments. It cannot be relied upon as a legal text.

The Hebrew text as published in Reshumot (ספר החוקים) and on the Knesset website is the sole authoritative and legally binding version. In any discrepancy, the Hebrew text prevails.

This translation is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For use in legal proceedings, request a certified Expert Legal Opinion.

Definitions§

1.

In this Law –

"sibling" – including a step-sibling, provided that the following two conditions are met in relation to that person, unless that person was in the position of a relative of the prisoner of war, abductee or missing person from birth who did not reside under the same roof as the abductee or missing person:

(1)at the time that person resided with the prisoner of war, abductee or missing person under the same roof, neither of them had yet reached the age of 21;
(2)at the time that person and the prisoner of war, abductee or missing person were dependants at the table of that person's parent and of the parent of the prisoner of war, abductee or missing person, who were married to each other or publicly known as partners, neither of them had yet reached the age of 21;

"spouse" – a person entitled to allowances under Section 2 of the Allowances for Families of Abductees and Missing Persons Law by reason of having been married to the prisoner of war, abductee or missing person, or by reason of their having been publicly known as partners;

"family member" – a spouse, parent, parent of a spouse, sibling or child, or a representative agreed upon by all of them, including a person recognised as a family member for the purposes of the definition "family member" in the Allowances for Families of Abductees and Missing Persons Law;

"Families of Fallen Soldiers Law" – the Families of Soldiers Who Fell in Action (Allowances and Rehabilitation) Law, 5710-1950;

"Allowances for Families of Abductees and Missing Persons Law" – the Allowances for Families of Abductees and Missing Persons in a Hostile Action Law, 5784-2023;

"Victims of Hostile Action (Pensions) Law" – the Victims of Hostile Action (Pensions) Law, 5730-1970;

"abductee" – as defined in the Allowances for Families of Abductees and Missing Persons Law;

"soldier" – as defined in the Military Justice Law, 5715-1955;

"security forces" – the General Security Service, the Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations, the Israel Police or the Israel Prison Service;

"missing person" – a person who has disappeared from military service or from service in the security forces, except a person in respect of whom there is a suspicion that the disappearance constitutes an offence under sections 92 or 94 of the Military Justice Law, 5715-1955, and also a person who has disappeared as a result of a hostile action, including a person determined to be a missing person under Section 3 of the Allowances for Families of Abductees and Missing Persons Law;

"hostile action" – as defined in the Victims of Hostile Action (Pensions) Law;

"claims officer" – as defined in Section 298 of the National Insurance Law [Consolidated Version], 5755-1995;

"pensions officer" – a person appointed by the Minister as a pensions officer under the Families of Fallen Soldiers Law;

"prisoner of war" – a person who has fallen into enemy captivity, including captivity of an organisation whose objectives or actions are directed at the elimination of the State or at harming the security of the State or the security of its residents;

"military service" – security service as defined in the Security Service Law [Consolidated Version], 5746-1986;

"the Minister" – the Minister of Defence.

Committee for Family Members' Requests§

2.
(a)The Minister shall appoint a committee whose function shall be to consider requests by family members of prisoners of war, abductees and missing persons for the financing of their travel expenses abroad (hereinafter – travel expenses), and for the financing of other expenses, all for the purpose of advancing efforts to secure the release or location of the prisoners of war, abductees or missing persons.
(b)The following are the members of the committee:
(1)an employee of the Ministry of Defence, the representative of the Minister, who shall be the chairperson;
(2)an employee of the Prime Minister's Office, the representative of the Prime Minister;
(3)an employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the representative of the Minister of Foreign Affairs;
(4)in deliberations concerning a request by a family member of a police officer or prison officer – an employee of the Ministry of Public Security, the representative of the Minister of Public Security, and in deliberations concerning a request by a family member of a person who is not a soldier or serving in the security forces – an employee of the National Insurance Institute who is the representative of the Minister in whose area of responsibility the National Insurance Institute falls.
(c)A representative of the Israel Defence Forces, the security forces or the National Insurance Institute, as the case may be, shall be invited to the meetings of the committee.
(d)The committee may approve full or partial financing of travel expenses, and for reasons that shall be recorded, it may approve the financing of expenses that are not travel expenses; however, the committee shall not approve travel expenses within Israel in connection with a prisoner of war, abductee or missing person in respect of whom a grant is paid under Section 2a.
(e)Where the committee has decided to approve the financing of expenses under subsection (d), it shall determine the manner of financing by the Ministry of Defence, the security forces or the National Insurance Institute, as the case may be.
(f)The chairperson of the committee may, with the approval of the Minister, prescribe in guidelines the categories of expenses for the purpose of financing expenses that are not travel expenses; guidelines as aforesaid shall be published in Reshumot (Official Gazette).
(g)The committee shall determine its own procedures and rules of deliberation, to the extent that these have not been prescribed under this Law.

Assistance Grants to the Family for the Purpose of Advancing Efforts to Secure the Release or Location of an Abductee or Missing Person – Temporary Provision§

2a.
(a)For the purpose of assisting the family in advancing efforts to secure the release or location of a person determined to be an abductee or missing person under Section 3 of the Allowances for Families of Abductees and Missing Persons Law, and who meets the conditions for entitlement under Section 4 of that Law or who is a soldier or serving in the security forces, a grant shall be paid as set out in paragraphs (1) and (2) below, subject to the provisions of this Section and Section 2b:
(1)a grant in the amount of NIS 90,000, half of which shall be paid to the spouse of the abductee or missing person and half of which, in equal shares, to the parents; however –
(a)where there is no spouse or where the spouse is himself or herself an abductee or missing person – the half shall be transferred to the earliest of the following:
(1)the children of the abductee or missing person who have reached the age of 21, in equal shares;
(2)the parents of the abductee or missing person, in equal shares;
(3)another relative of the abductee or missing person, one or more in equal shares, as determined by a claims officer or a pensions officer, as the case may be, if that officer finds that the payment is intended for carrying out efforts to secure the release or location of the abductee or missing person;
(b)where there are no parents or where the parents are themselves abductees or missing persons, the half shall be transferred to the earliest of the following:
(1)the children of the abductee or missing person who have reached the age of 21, in equal shares;
(2)the siblings of the abductee or missing person who have reached the age of 21, in equal shares;
(3)another relative of the abductee or missing person, one or more in equal shares, as determined by a claims officer or a pensions officer, as the case may be, if that officer finds that the payment is intended for carrying out efforts to secure the release or location of the abductee or missing person;
(c)with respect to a parent of an abductee or missing person who has no spouse who is himself or herself a parent of the same abductee or missing person, and whose share is less than half of the grant stated in the opening of this paragraph, the amount of NIS 13,500 shall be added to that parent's share of the grant; for the purposes of this sub-paragraph, "spouses" – including persons publicly known as partners;
(2)a grant in the amount of NIS 21,000 for each sibling of the abductee or missing person who has reached the age of 18 and for each child of the abductee or missing person who has reached the age of 18, and if not entitled to a grant under paragraph (1) – the amount of NIS 3,000 shall be added to the said amount, and for a sibling or child as aforesaid who is a parent of a child – the amount of NIS 4,500 shall be added, all provided that if they are entitled, by reason of the same abductee or missing person, to an allowance under the Allowances for Families of Abductees and Missing Persons Law, under the Families of Fallen Soldiers Law or under the Victims of Hostile Action (Pensions) Law, or if a supplement to such an allowance is paid in respect of them – the grant to which they are entitled shall be in an amount equal to the difference between the amount of the said grant and three times the allowance paid to them or the supplement to the allowance paid in respect of them under those laws.
(b)Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a), a person shall not be entitled by virtue of that subsection to a grant in an amount exceeding NIS 200,000 in one grant payment period.
(c)
(1)For as long as an abductee has not been released or a missing person has not been located, a grant as referred to in subsection (a) shall be paid once every three months (in this Section – the grant payment period), commencing from the date of abduction or the date of commencement of the absence, within four days of the commencement of the grant payment period;
(2)Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (1), the first grant shall be paid within thirty days of the date of abduction or the date of commencement of the absence;
(3)A grant that has been paid shall not be returned even if the abductee was released or the missing person was located during the grant payment period.
(d)Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (c) –
(1)with respect to a person who was abducted or went missing in a hostile action that occurred on the 22nd of Tishrei 5784 (7 October 2023) – the first grant shall be paid within 14 days of the commencement date of the Allowances for Families of Abductees and Missing Persons Law, for the period from the 22nd of Tishrei 5784 (7 October 2023), even if by the date of payment the abductee has been released, and with respect to a missing person – provided that the person was missing on the commencement date of that Law;
(2)with respect to a person who was an abductee or missing person before the 22nd of Tishrei 5784 (7 October 2023), the first grant shall be paid for the period from the 22nd of Tishrei 5784 (7 October 2023), for as long as the abductee has not been released or the missing person has not been located.
(e)
(1)A grant as referred to in subsection (a) is not transferable, assignable, chargeable (security interest) or attachable in any manner whatsoever, except for the purpose of paying maintenance due from a person entitled to a grant under a judgment of a court or a competent tribunal;
(2)The provisions of this subsection shall also apply to amounts paid through a banking corporation or through the postal company, for thirty days from the date of payment;
(3)Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (2), where a grant was paid during the special home front situation period or during the thirty days preceding the commencement date of the Allowances for Families of Abductees and Missing Persons Law, the provisions of that paragraph shall also apply to a grant paid through a banking corporation or the postal company, for ninety days from the date of payment, and if the special home front situation period ended before the expiry of those ninety days – for the period commencing on the date of payment and ending thirty days after the end of the special home front situation period;
(4)In this subsection –

"postal company" – the company as defined in the Postal Law, 5746-1986, when providing services under section 88a of that Law;

"special home front situation period" – the period from the 22nd of Tishrei 5784 (7 October 2023) until the expiry of the declaration of a special home front situation issued on that date under the Civil Defence Law, 5711-1951.

(f)A grant as referred to in subsection (a) shall not be considered income for the purposes of any law, unless the Minister has determined otherwise.
(g)The provisions of this Section applying with respect to an abductee shall also apply with respect to a person killed whose body is held by enemy forces.
(h)The provisions of this Section applying with respect to an abductee who is a soldier shall also apply with respect to a prisoner of war.
(i)The provisions of this Section shall remain in force for two years from the commencement date of the Allowances for Families of Abductees and Missing Persons Law; the Minister, with the approval of the Labour and Welfare Committee of the Knesset, may, by Order, extend the validity of this Section for additional periods not exceeding 12 months in the aggregate.

Supplement to Grant for the Purpose of Resettlement§

2a1.
(a)A spouse, parent, and also a child, brother or sister who has reached the age of 18, of a person who was an abductee on the 22nd of Tishrei 5784 (7 October 2023) and was recognised as a redeemed captive under Section 2 of the Payments to Redeemed Captives and Released Abductees Law, 5765-2005, who were entitled to a grant under Section 2a, shall be entitled to a supplement to the grant for the purpose of resettlement (in this Section – resettlement grant), in accordance with the following provisions:
(1)with respect to an abductee released by the 6th of the month following the month in which the grant under Section 2a was paid –
(a)the spouse and each of the parents shall be entitled to a resettlement grant in the amount of NIS 10,000;
(b)each of the siblings and each of the children shall be entitled to a resettlement grant in the amount of NIS 7,000;
(2)with respect to an abductee released between the 7th of the month following the month in which the grant under Section 2a was paid and the 6th of the month after that –
(a)the spouse and each of the parents shall be entitled to a resettlement grant in the amount of NIS 20,000;
(b)each of the siblings and each of the children shall be entitled to a resettlement grant in the amount of NIS 14,000;
(3)with respect to an abductee released between the 7th of the second month following the month in which the grant under Section 2a was paid and the 6th of the month after that –
(a)the spouse and each of the parents shall be entitled to a resettlement grant in the amount of NIS 30,000;
(b)each of the siblings and each of the children shall be entitled to a resettlement grant in the amount of NIS 21,000.
(b)A child, brother or sister who has reached the age of 18, of a person who was an abductee on the 22nd of Tishrei 5784 (7 October 2023) and whose body has been returned, who were entitled to a grant under Section 2a, and who are not entitled by reason of the abductee's death to an allowance under the Families of Fallen Soldiers Law or under the Victims of Hostile Action (Pensions) Law, as the case may be, are entitled to a resettlement grant in the amount referred to in subsection (a), according to the date of the return of the abductee's body.
(c)The resettlement grant shall be paid within 30 days of the date of release of the abductee or the return of the body, as the case may be.

Making Payments and Indemnification§

2b.
(a)Payments under this Law with respect to a prisoner of war, abductee or missing person who is a soldier or serving in the security forces shall be made through the Ministry of Defence; payments as aforesaid with respect to any other abductee or missing person shall be made through the National Insurance Institute.
(b)Requests under this Law with respect to a prisoner of war, abductee or missing person who is a soldier or serving in the security forces shall be submitted to the Ministry of Defence, and the provisions of Chapters Five and Six of the Families of Fallen Soldiers Law shall apply, with the necessary modifications, with respect to Section 2a; requests under this Law with respect to any other prisoner of war, abductee or missing person shall be submitted to the National Insurance Institute, and the provisions of sections 13, 13a and 15 of the Victims of Hostile Action (Pensions) Law shall apply in that regard.
(c)The State Treasury shall indemnify the National Insurance Institute, upon its demand, for every expense incurred by it in making the payments under the provisions of this Law and for the proportionate share of the administrative expenses of the National Insurance Institute arising from the implementation of this Law.

Reporting to the Knesset§

3.

The Minister shall report to the Sub-Committee on Intelligence and Secret Services of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee of the Knesset at the beginning of each year on the decisions of the committee appointed under Section 2 that were made under the provisions of this Law in the preceding year.

Implementation and Regulations§

4.

The Minister is responsible for the implementation of this Law and may make Regulations on any matter relating to its implementation.

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LawDefense & Security

חוק מימון הוצאות למשפחות שבויים, חטופים ונעדרים, תשס"ח-2008

POW families financing law

prisoners of war expenses law

abductees families law

missing persons families law

5768-2008

families support law Israel

hostages families financing

captured soldiers families law

tzel families law

prisoners families expenses