Hit by war, Israelis defer loan repayments in October - banks regulator

Israelis deferred payment on nearly 3 billion shekels of loans in October as a result of Israel's war with Hamas, the banking regulator said on Thursday.

In all, some 117,000 loans were deferred, mostly in mortgages and other consumer credit, totalling 2.7 billion shekels ($727 million) last month, the Bank of Israel said.

Data gathered in November, it said, showed that one-third of those who deferred loan payments last month were customers who were directly impacted by damage from the war - those who live or own a business within 30 km from the Gaza border, people who were evacuated from their homes, people are were called up as reservists and those who are immediate relatives of those killed during the war, kidnapped or missing.

Following the attacks on Israel by Palestinian Hamas gunmen on Oct 7 and the subsequent war, the central bank's banking supervisor told banks to allow for loan deferrals and ease fees for households and businesses affected by the conflict.