Israel lifts state of emergency in the south, committee approves $300 million for the north

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz declared on Monday that the emergency situation status put in place for southern Israel during Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack, would be lifted the following day, Times of Israel reported.

The “special situation” allowed the military’s Home Front Command to restrict gatherings and close off areas. It was declared on the morning of Oct. 7 in the entire country, but has since remained in place only in the South, the outlet explained.

The order will expire Tuesday, according to the minister, who said he had “decided to adopt the [Israeli army’s] recommendation," meaning that for the first time in over two years, there will be no active “special situation” anywhere in Israel.

Katz said that “the decision reflects the new security reality in the South of the country," which he claimed was achieved thanks to the Israeli army's "determined and powerful actions" in Gaza over the past two years. Israel killed more than 68,000 people in its war on Gaza, where a cease-fire is now entering its third week.

Israeli parliamentary committee approves $380 million for north

Also on Monday, the Israeli parliament's Finance Committee approved a long-awaited transfer of NIS 1.2 billion ($308 million) for rehabilitation and economic recovery programs in northern Israel.

According to Times of Israel, the approval came after months of delays caused by the Finance Ministry’s refusal to provide supplementary information requested by the committee’s legal advisers, the outlet states.

The funding will be used to implement two government resolutions from July to support towns within a two-kilometer radius of the Lebanese border, whose residents were evacuated, and to revive businesses and municipal activity up to nine kilometers from the border.

Approximately 60,000 residents of northern Israel evacuated their homes amid the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah from October 2023 to November 2024.

Following the November cease-fire, Israel had difficultly convincing residents to return to their homes, while residents protested what they saw as their government's failure to secure their safety.

In late July, the Israeli army announced that 74 percent of northern residents had returned, which was a sharp increase from a few months prior, when only 30-40 percent had returned.