The Israel Ministry of Tourism Successfully Concludes Largest Civilian Evacuation Operation

JERUSALEM:
On July 7, 2025, the civilian emergency operations center established at the initiative of Minister of Tourism Haim Katz for the benefit of the evacuees following the outbreak of the Swords of Iron War, was formally closed. This marks the conclusion of a broad-scale civilian emergency operation initiated and executed by the Ministry of Tourism, which assumed national responsibility without prior preparation.

The operations center was established within a matter of days, with the assistance of the Israel Hotel Association. Within approximately one week, the center staffed by dozens of Ministry employees had assigned close to 100,000 residents to hotel accommodations. In its early weeks, the center operated
around the clock.

“Without prior preparation, we established an effective infrastructure for the evacuation of residents in times of emergency. I hope we will not need to resort to it in the future, but if required, the Ministry is ready to respond. The full mobilization of Ministry employees and the personal, sensitive care
provided to evacuees contributed to strengthening the resilience of the home front throughout the prolonged campaign Israel has been waging. The initiative to evacuate residents to hotels prevented the collapse of the hotel sector, and the subsistence grant we introduced provided flexibility and elief
for evacuees, saving the State 7 billion shekels. We continue to work toward the preservation and rehabilitation of the tourism industry with dedicated budgets, and we encourage supportive audiences to keep visiting Israel. Tourism is a major economic catalyst and assists in public diplomacy – every tourist becomes an ambassador. I am confident that on the day after, we will break records,” said Minister of Tourism Haim Katz.

From civilian emergency operations center’s establishment on October 18, 2023, the center assisted more than 125,000 eligible residents in relocating. At the height of the evacuation effort, over 90,000 evacuees were hosted in hotels across the country on a full-board basis, which included lodging, meals, laundry, cleaning, and other ongoing physical needs. In total, the State paid more than ILS 7 billion to hotels for the accommodation of evacuees during the period of displacement. This initiative helped preserve thousands of jobs in the hospitality sector, which had been severely impacted by the cessation of tourist activity due to the war.

At the initiative of Minister Katz, evacuees who chose not to remain in hotels were offered a daily subsistence grant of ILS 200 per adult and ILS 100 per child, amounting to a net monthly payment of ILS 18,000 for a family of two adults and two children.

Toward the end of 2023, the Ministry of Tourism launched a dedicated public information campaign to promote the transition to the community-based subsistence grant track, which helped reduce the extended stays in hotels. This initiative led to a cumulative savings of over ILS 7 billion for the State
Treasury – a saving derived from the substantial cost differential between hotel accommodations and community-based grants.

During its period of operation, the emergency center handled two principal categories of inquiries: tens of thousands of requests relating to hotel placements, including transfers between hotels, reunification of families and communities, accommodations for sensitive circumstances such as
divorce, admittance of pets, arrangements for soldiers returning on weekends, and more. At the same time, the Ministry addressed approximately 13,000 disputes between evacuees and hospitality establishments, which involved eligibility issues and reports regarding length of stay.

Based on the extensive experience and knowledge accumulated over the 628 days of the center’s operation, the Ministry is now drafting an emergency population evacuation protocol. This document will support preparedness and the provision of an immediate and effective response in the future, for
any public body or system tasked with executing a similarly complex and prolonged mission. The Ministry will continue to address outstanding administrative matters.