Study: 850,000 children live in poverty in Israel

Some 1.77 million people live in poverty in Israel, of them more than 850,000 children, according to an alternative poverty report published by the non-profit organization Latet.

The organization found in its 2010 study that 75% of impoverished individuals in Israel forgo meals due to their financial situation, a 21% rise from 2009.

Moreover, 83% of children did not receive dental care and 22% of the poor confessed that they have had suicidal thoughts due to their economic status.

Latet works in coordination with 150 soup kitchens that aid 60,000 of 223,000 impoverished families – of them 530,000 children.

This is the eighth year that Latet has published this report, which portrays the situation on the ground from the testimonies of 520 non-governmental organizations.