The Justice Ministry's Legal Aid Department opened 154,552 files in 2025, with personal status (35%) and debt (30%) cases forming the bulk of the caseload. The report records more than 3,500 wartime-related files for bereaved families, hostages and returnees, and notes that wartime assistance is provided without a financial means test. It also highlights a 2025 Supreme Court ruling refusing to treat minimum wage as automatic proof of earnings in a debt case and a December 2025 law allowing people aged 65+ to seek aid for certain elder-exploitation cases without a means test.
Legal Aid Opens 154,552 Files in 2025 — Family and Debt Cases Dominate; Wartime Support and Elder Protections Expanded
Entrance to the Office of the Minister of Justice, at the Ministry of Justice in Jerusalem, April 7, 2025. (photo credit: OREN BEN HAKOON/FLASH90)
The Justice Ministry's Legal Aid Department opened 154,552 files in 2025, with family and debt matters comprising the largest shares of its caseload, according to the department's annual report published on Wednesday.
Key Caseload Breakdown
By category, personal status matters made up 35% of files opened in 2025 and debt cases accounted for 30%. Civil litigation represented 10% of newly opened files and National Insurance matters accounted for 7%. The report notes these figures describe files opened during the year, not the number of individuals represented or case outcomes.
Wartime Legal Support
The report documents legal work arising from the October 7 attacks and the subsequent Israel-Hamas war. The department opened more than 3,500 files for bereaved families, families of hostages and returnees, and relatives of people murdered in the attacks covering the period from October 2023 through the second half of 2026.
Eligible immediate family members receive assistance on matters such as benefits, inheritance, banking, housing and insurance. Returned hostages can also obtain legal help related to their captivity or the broader effects of the war. Assistance under this wartime programme is provided without a financial means test.
View of the Justice Ministry in Jerusalem, October 3, 2019 (credit: YOSSI ZAMIR/FLASH90)
Recognition Appeals
Some relatives are seeking formal recognition as victims of hostile acts after witnessing attacks on family members remotely — via telephone calls, messages or video. The Legal Aid Department represents dozens of bereaved and hostage families in appeals against decisions by the approving authority. Those appeals are currently pending before an appeals committee at the Tel Aviv District Court.
Notable Court Ruling
The report highlights a 2025 Supreme Court decision in a debt case handled by legal aid. A woman whose actual earnings were below minimum wage challenged a monthly payment ordered in debt proceedings. The Supreme Court held that the minimum wage cannot be automatically treated as proof of what she earned or could earn, and returned the matter for an individualized assessment of her circumstances; the ruling did not itself set a new payment amount.
Expanded Access for Older People
A law enacted in December 2025 allows people aged 65 and over to apply for legal aid in specified cases of alleged financial exploitation without undergoing a financial means test. The exemption applies only to those specified exploitation cases, not to every legal matter involving an older person.
Outlook: The pending wartime recognition appeals remain an important open question: their outcome will determine whether relatives who witnessed attacks remotely will qualify for official recognition on that basis.
Note: The report's numbers refer to files opened, not the number of individuals represented or the final outcomes of cases.
Help us improve.
