Spike in number of young poor Israelis

The number of Israeli youths claiming chronic financial distress and living in a condition of poverty has almost doubled in the past year, according to an annual report on the state of youth in Israel.

Over the course of 2014, 5,197 youth assisted by Elem, an Israeli organization, reported living in economic hardship and poverty, a 90 percent increase over the 2,730 reports from 2013.

The report shows a spike in the number of youth reporting lives of economic hardship and poverty, an increase in the number of online and social media sexual harassment incidents, a lack in services provided to those who are between 18 and 26 years old, and a hike in reported anxiety and depression following the Gaza war.

It gathered information from the approximately 25,000 youth that Elem had assisted during 2014.