Breaking Update
Housing Ministry: Negev Development in 2025
The Housing Ministry is boosting Negev development in 2025 with significant investments and rehabilitation plans following October 7th and Operation Am K'Lavi.
Assistance to Southern Communities After October 7th and Following Operation “Am K’Lavi”
Following the events of October 7th, the Ministry of Construction and Housing continued to invest significant resources in rehabilitating affected communities and providing support to residents who needed housing and infrastructure solutions. The Ministry led focused professional staff work, assisted local authorities in developing rehabilitation plans, and implemented emergency measures for residents requiring immediate assistance. Throughout the year, the Ministry’s teams were in direct contact with the communities, identified gaps, and accompanied the rehabilitation process with the aim of optimally returning residents to routine.
Concurrently, the Ministry led significant field work as part of Operation “Am K’Lavi,” which included a professional tour by the Ministry’s Director-General in Be’er Sheva. During this operation, meetings were held with the Mayor and his team, deficiencies in public housing buildings damaged during the war days were presented, and focused rehabilitation plans were formulated. The Ministry translated the findings from the field into work processes, starting with rehabilitation work and extending to the expansion of social and community services around public housing complexes.
Extensive Government Investments in Be’er Sheva
Following a government decision approved this year, the Ministry of Construction and Housing led a strategic investment program aimed at strengthening the city of Be’er Sheva. The Ministry coordinated extensive planning and economic work, mobilized government resources, and built a multi-year plan for the establishment of new public institutions, the strengthening of existing neighborhoods, and the development of modern urban infrastructure. The urban vision was updated according to needs that arose from the field, and the Ministry worked to incorporate innovative planning and construction elements adapted to a developing metropolis.
One of the significant achievements of this initiative is the stabilization of infrastructure for comprehensive urban renewal in the city. The updating of the master plan, the publication of policy documents, and the expansion of personnel for the Government Authority for Urban Renewal in Be’er Sheva are all steps led by the Ministry of Construction and Housing with the aim of enabling urban renewal processes to proceed at an accelerated pace, while providing a high-quality and in-depth response to the older neighborhoods and their residents.
Roof Agreements as a Catalyst for the Growth of Southern Cities
During 2025, the Ministry of Construction and Housing led a significant strategic move to strengthen southern cities, culminating in the signing of a new roof agreement with the Dimona Municipality. The agreement, signed in the presence of the Prime Minister and led by the Ministry of Construction and Housing, includes an addition of approximately 17,000 new housing units alongside the development of infrastructure, public institutions, and employment and commercial areas. Billions of shekels will be invested within the framework of the agreement, including approximately NIS 3.5 billion for the development of new neighborhoods, approximately NIS 760 million for infrastructure, approximately NIS 700 million for public institutions, and approximately NIS 330 million for the upgrade of the old city. The agreement was formulated and advanced following professional staff work by the Ministry of Construction and Housing and continues Dimona’s development momentum as a leading regional city in the Negev. Concurrently, the Ministry is in advanced stages of signing another roof agreement in the city of Sderot, as part of the expansion of government investment in southern cities.
Promoting the Establishment of New Communities in the South
The year 2025 was a breakthrough year in promoting new communities in the Negev. The “Rosh Ha’ishonim” (First Settlers) district plan in the city of Menora (formerly Kasif) reached a significant stage this year, with the special committee approving its deposit. The Ministry of Construction and Housing has led the comprehensive planning of the city for years, conducting professional field work and creating modern planning intended to provide a response to a growing Haredi population. The continued promotion of the city is a central pillar in strengthening settlement in the eastern Negev.
Concurrently, the Ministry led in-depth processes to promote the settlement region along Highway 25, between Be’er Sheva and Dimona. The approval of the memorandum by the Southern District Planning Committee is the result of comprehensive planning work that the Ministry led in cooperation with the Settlement Division, and it continues to advance to the National Planning Council. In the approaches to Arad, at the Tze’elim junction, in the Yatir area, and in Ramat HaNegev, the Ministry also promoted the planning of new community settlements, based on a strategic concept aimed at attracting new populations and strengthening the southern region.
The Ministry’s Activity in the Rural Sector
In the rural sector, the Ministry worked to strengthen communities and enable balanced demographic growth. The government’s decision to support communities located 0-7 km from the Gaza border was largely shaped by planning and policy promoted by the Ministry, which provides increased subsidies for land development, aiming to reduce construction costs and make it easier for young families to choose to live in the area. The Ministry worked in coordination with the Resilience and National Reconstruction Administration to promote a call for proposals for community growth and accompanied local authorities in planning new neighborhoods.
Throughout the year, the Ministry was involved in promoting dozens of rural communities from the northern Negev to the Eilat region. The Ministry’s planning teams formulated plans for neighborhood development, infrastructure upgrades, and improvement of public buildings, and prepared the infrastructure for significant growth expected in 2026. The Ministry’s work in the rural sector ensures the strengthening of regional council communities, the creation of new communities, and the expansion of agricultural and community settlement.
Expanding Housing Supply: “Apartment at a Discount” Lotteries
The “Apartment at a Discount” program continued to be one of the Ministry of Construction and Housing’s main tools for providing housing solutions to the public this year. In January, the Ministry opened a large-scale lottery that included thousands of housing units in the South, and later in the year, the ninth lottery was managed, with nearly one hundred thousand households registering. The high numbers registered this year indicate significant demand and high public trust in the Ministry’s housing programs. The Ministry continues to promote additional marketing campaigns throughout the South, increase the actual supply of apartments, and accompany eligible individuals until they receive the keys, as part of the vision to provide higher quality and more accessible housing solutions.
Urban Renewal in the South
The Ministerial Committee for Interior Affairs approved a series of decisions this year, initiated and promoted by the Ministry of Construction and Housing, focusing on expanding urban renewal options in the South. The Ministry’s work contributed to the creation of a planning and economic foundation that allows for the construction of over 30,000 new housing units, with a focus on cities like Kiryat Malakhi and Netivot. These initiatives provide local authorities with significant tools to improve older neighborhoods and adapt them to the needs of the 21st century.
The Ministry continued to accompany local authorities in evacuation-construction processes and to push forward significant plans, including the massive renewal plan in Netivot, which will include 13,000 housing units and comprehensively upgrade the old city. In Kiryat Malakhi, initiatives were also promoted that will enable the construction of new neighborhoods, the development of commercial and employment areas, and the expansion of public buildings – all as part of the Ministry’s leadership in strengthening southern cities.
In conclusion, 2025 was a turning point year for the South, which received comprehensive planning and execution leadership from the Ministry of Construction and Housing. The totality of the moves – from the establishment of new communities to urban renewal, from investments in Be’er Sheva to the development of the rural sector, and from expanding housing supply to rehabilitating communities – created a real foundation for accelerated regional growth. The Ministry will continue to operate with full force in the coming years to ensure that the Negev develops, attracts new populations, and offers its residents a high quality of life, based on advanced planning, employment, infrastructure, and accessible housing.
