Tel Aviv, April 7 -- Following an investigation by Northern District police and Israel's National Insurance Institute, five suspects were arrested this morning for running a network that fraudulently spent public assistance funds intended for victims of the wars in Gaza and Lebanon. According to the Israel Police, tens of millions of shekels were fraudulently paid out from the public purse during the "Iron Swords" War in Gaza.

During the war and as part of the economy's coping with the labor market crisis in the north, the state decided on a grant of 3,000 Shekels ( USD 788) per month to be awarded to every evacuee who returned to work and/or to anyone who works full or part-time in a community evacuated due to security concerns who prev...