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Israeli Government Officially Approves New Benefits for Soldiers
Israeli soldiers operate in the Gaza Strip amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian terror group Hamas, in this handout picture released on Jan. 2, 2024. Photo: Israel Defense Forces/Handout via REUTERS
The Israeli government has officially approved a new set of benefits for military reservists discharged from service, giving them significant discounts on land purchases.
“Today is a good day, because we have committed for some time to bring free or almost free land to the army servants, our reservists, with an emphasis of course on combat service,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been pushing heavily for the discounts.
“There is really a big news here of 90 percent [discounts], and in some places even 95 percent,” he continued, detailing the benefits. “Though the land itself is almost free, we are aware that there are also development expenses. We are now discussing how to also provide assistance, such as subsidies, with the Finance Ministry for the benefit of development expenses. This is of course a great revolution; it also creates justice.”
Construction and Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf added, “Today we passed a series of historic decisions for the benefit of Israeli citizens of all shades of the population, with an emphasis on [Israel Defense Forces] IDF soldiers and reservists, who sacrifice their time and energy for the defense of the homeland. In addition to increasing discounts for buyers in areas of national priority, in order to encourage and develop Jewish settlement there.”
As mentioned by Netanyahu, the main benefit approved on Thursday was a 90 percent discount on land purchases where the buyer is building a house for personal use. Additionally, priority will be given to reservists in housing lotteries — first choice on 20 percent of the units — and they will become eligible for discounts on apartment purchases.
The new approval gives extra discounts if the land is purchased in “priority locations” such as the Negev, the Galilee, and the Gaza Envelope. The rate will be 10 percent or up to 100,000 NIS (slightly under $28,000), which will be subtracted from the 90 percent discount already applied.
“With the decisions passed today, the state will offer significant discounts for the purchase of land in national priority areas for reservists,” said Yehuda Morgenstern, director-general of the Construction and Housing Ministry. “In addition, we increased the percentage of apartments that will be allocated to reservists in discounted apartment lotteries. We consider it a moral obligation to help as much as possible to encourage settlement throughout the country, especially in the areas close to the borders, and at the same time to give as much assistance as possible to the reserve soldiers who give of themselves for the country all the time.”
The measure defines reservists qualifying for the discounts as being those who served at least 45 days, meaning that almost every soldier who was called can take advantage of the discounts.
More than 300,000 soldiers were called up following Oct. 7, when Hamas terrorists invaded southern Israel, killing over 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages in documented cases of systemic rape, murder, and mutilation.
Now almost six months into the war, a large portion of the soldiers called for duty after Oct. 7 have returned to their homes following service, though many remain in or around Gaza and in the north of Israel, where the IDF has been trading missile fire with the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon.
The post Israeli Government Officially Approves New Benefits for Soldiers first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Israel Says Missile Launched by Yemen’s Houthis ‘Most Likely’ Intercepted
Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi addresses followers via a video link at the al-Shaab Mosque, formerly al-Saleh Mosque, in Sanaa, Yemen, Feb. 6, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
The Israeli army said on Saturday that a missile fired from Yemen towards Israeli territory had been “most likely successfully intercepted,” while Yemen’s Houthi forces claimed responsibility for the launch.
Israel has threatened Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement – which has been attacking Israel in what it says is solidarity with Gaza – with a naval and air blockade if its attacks on Israel persist.
The Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group was responsible for Saturday’s attack, adding that it fired a missile towards the southern Israeli city of Beersheba.
Since the start of Israel’s war in Gaza in October 2023, the Houthis, who control most of Yemen, have been firing at Israel and at shipping in the Red Sea, disrupting global trade.
Most of the dozens of missiles and drones they have launched have been intercepted or fallen short. Israel has carried out a series of retaliatory strikes.
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Iran Holds Funeral for Commanders and Scientists Killed in War with Israel
People attend the funeral procession of Iranian military commanders, nuclear scientists and others killed in Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran, June 28, 2025. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
Large crowds of mourners dressed in black lined streets in Iran’s capital Tehran as the country held a funeral on Saturday for top military commanders, nuclear scientists and some of the civilians killed during this month’s aerial war with Israel.
At least 16 scientists and 10 senior commanders were among those mourned at the funeral, according to state media, including armed forces chief Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Revolutionary Guards commander General Hossein Salami, and Guards Aerospace Force chief General Amir Ali Hajizadeh.
Their coffins were driven into Tehran’s Azadi Square adorned with their photos and national flags, as crowds waved flags and some reached out to touch the caskets and throw rose petals onto them. State-run Press TV showed an image of ballistic missiles on display.
Mass prayers were later held in the square.
State TV said the funeral, dubbed the “procession of the Martyrs of Power,” was held for a total of 60 people killed in the war, including four women and four children.
In attendance were President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior figures including Ali Shamkhani, who was seriously wounded during the conflict and is an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as Khamenei’s son Mojtaba.
“Today, Iranians, through heroic resistance against two regimes armed with nuclear weapons, protected their honor and dignity, and look to the future prouder, more dignified, and more resolute than ever,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, who also attended the funeral, said in a Telegram post.
There was no immediate statement from Khamenei, who has not appeared publicly since the conflict began. In past funerals, he led prayers over the coffins of senior commanders ahead of public ceremonies broadcast on state television.
Israel launched the air war on June 13, attacking Iranian nuclear facilities and killing top military commanders as well as civilians in the worst blow to the Islamic Republic since the 1980s war with Iraq.
Iran retaliated with barrages of missiles on Israeli military sites, infrastructure and cities. The United States entered the war on June 22 with strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
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Israel, the only Middle Eastern country widely believed to have nuclear weapons, said it aimed to prevent Tehran from developing its own nuclear weapons.
Iran denies having a nuclear weapons program. The U.N. nuclear watchdog has said it has “no credible indication” of an active, coordinated weapons program in Iran.
Bagheri, Salami and Hajizadeh were killed on June 13, the first day of the war. Bagheri was being buried at the Behesht Zahra cemetery outside Tehran mid-afternoon on Saturday. Salami and Hajizadeh were due to be buried on Sunday.
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he would consider bombing Iran again, while Khamenei, who has appeared in two pre-recorded video messages since the start of the war, has said Iran would respond to any future US attack by striking US military bases in the Middle East.
A senior Israeli military official said on Friday that Israel had delivered a “major blow” to Iran’s nuclear project. On Saturday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said in a statement that Israel and the US “failed to achieve their stated objectives” in the war.
According to Iranian health ministry figures, 610 people were killed on the Iranian side in the war before a ceasefire went into effect on Tuesday. More than 4,700 were injured.
Activist news agency HRANA put the number of killed at 974, including 387 civilians.
Israel’s health ministry said 28 were killed in Israel and 3,238 injured.
The post Iran Holds Funeral for Commanders and Scientists Killed in War with Israel first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Pro-Palestinian Rapper Leads ‘Death to the IDF’ Chant at English Music festival
Revellers dance as Avril Lavigne performs on the Other Stage during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, June 30, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
i24 News – Chants of “death to the IDF” were heard during the English Glastonbury music festival on Saturday ahead of the appearance of the pro-Palestinian Irish rappers Kneecap.
One half of punk duo based Bob Vylan (who both use aliases to protect their privacy) shouted out during a section of their show “Death to the IDF” – the Israeli military. Videos posted on X (formerly Twitter) show the crowd responding to and repeating the cheer.
This comes after officials had petitioned the music festival to drop the band. The rap duo also expressed support for the following act, Kneecap, who the BCC refused to show live after one of its members, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh – better known by stage name Mo Chara – was charged with a terror offense.
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