IDF reservists major winners of Israeli housing lottery

A total of 25,394 reservists registered for the lottery, of whom 4,734 were selected, which is nearly one in every five reservist applicants.

By JNS

About 60% of winners in the latest round of Israel’s housing lottery project are active Israel Defense Forces reservists, Channel 12 reported on Sunday.

The housing lottery, an Israeli government project that allocates apartments to eligible household registrants at discounted prices, has now run its 11th consecutive round.

The Ministry of Construction and Housing started sending winning notifications on Sunday morning for 7,922 households out of a total of 114,848 applicants, according to the report.

Roughly 6.9% of registered households won the right to buy one of the apartments offered in the lottery, the report continued.

For the first time the program provided a preference for reserve soldiers, who have been participating in the ongoing war since Oct. 7, 2023, with approximately 50% of the apartments in the lottery reserved for active reservists.

And about half of the apartments allocated to reservists were designated specifically for combat soldiers, aligned with the Israel Land Authority Council’s decision, according to Channel 12.

A total of 25,394 reservists registered for the lottery, of whom 4,734 were selected, which is nearly one in every five reservist applicants.

Reservists won the right to buy 60% of the apartments, rather than just the 50% allocated specifically to them, because they are also eligible to apply for the general lottery pool, the report said.