Welfare Ministry Warns Additional Budget Cuts Threaten Social Services
The Ministry of Welfare warns that upcoming budget cuts threaten critical services for at-risk populations, coming on top of severe staff shortages and rising caseloads since the war.
Following cuts of about half a billion shekels from the Ministry of Welfare's budget over the past year, including roughly 444 million from the 2026 baseline, the ministry is now bracing for another across-the-board government budget cut. Officials warn that further reductions could severely curtail field services and overburden municipal social services departments, which are already struggling with severe shortages highlighted by the State Comptroller.
For instance, as of June 2025, social services departments faced approximately 1,142 unfilled social worker positions—a 47% increase compared to 2022. During the same period, active welfare case files rose from 478,533 to 518,264. A State Comptroller survey found that 74% of social workers reported a significant or extreme increase in workload since the outbreak of the war.
The anticipated cuts threaten to directly harm critical support systems for at-risk children and youth, individuals with disabilities, the elderly, women facing domestic violence, and families in crisis. Potential consequences include reduced therapeutic services and extended waiting times.
With the vast majority of the ministry's budget currently allocated to operational services and existing commitments, the scope to absorb additional cuts at this stage of the fiscal year remains severely limited. These concerns are heightened by a steady rise in demand for welfare services over the past three years.
