The majority of Jewish former residents of the Gaza Strip are in dire condition, said a report published by an ad hoc parliamentary committee established to determine the aftermath of the 2005 disengagement.
Israel Radio reported Tuesday afternoon that most of the evacuees were still living in temporary housing and that hundreds of families were dependent on assistance from welfare services.
The report also found that the percentage of unemployed Gaza evacuees was double the number before the disengagement.
The Education Ministry estimated that approximately half the schoolchildren from evacuees' families did not return to function ad normal, that about a third of them needed extensive help to study and that many of the children needed support and professional counseling.
Junior high and high school pupils exhibited a decline in achievements and a lower concentration span.
School counselors reported an increase in abuse of controlled substances, decline in the development of social skills and a rise in suicidal teenagers.
The report was published preceding a discussion on the disengagement evacuees in the Knesset's State Control Committee.
"We have alerted the state in real time about the harsh condition of the evacuees and the hardships awaiting them," said State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss during the committee's discussion.
Lindenstrauss added that in the very near future, immediately after submitting his report on the home front during the Second Lebanon War, he would begin preparing follow-up reports to determine whether his recommendations given at the time of the pullout were implemented.
(ynet)