In a historic vote, the cabinet unanimously voted on Monday in favor of a restitution package to compensate the families of some 1,050 new immigrant children from Yemen, Arab countries, and the Balkans who "disappeared" in the early years of the state.

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The matter of the unaccounted-for children of new immigrant families from these countries has been a painful one for Israeli society for decades and the focus of three different governmental commissions of inquiry.

In every case in which the commission of inquiry determined that a child died but his or her family was not informed about their deaths at the time will be paid 150,000 shekels ($46,000). If the fate of their children is undetermined, they family will be awarded 200,000 shekels ($61,300). The total cost of the restitution payments totals 162 million shekels ($49.6 million).

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "I brought the cabinet a decision to pay restitution to the families hurt in the affair. This is one of the most painful episodes in the history of the state. It is time for the families who babies were taken from them to be recognized by the state and the government, and also receive restitution.

"The restitution cannot make up for the terrible suffering the families endured and still endure, which is intolerable. We need to give them the small comfort to which they are entitled," Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu said he wanted Education Minister Yoav Gallant to make sure that the Yemenite children affair was covered in the Israeli history curriculum.

"I thank the ministers, the MKs, and former MK Nurit Koren, who worked on this matter, as well as cabinet secretary Tzahi Braverman, who successfully spearheaded the issue," the prime minister added.

Finance Minister Israel Katz said, "With this decision, the government of Israel acknowledges the painful affairs, which is imprinted on the history of the country, which has not yet been thoroughly investigated. We will work to give the wronged families their full rights, and begin to heal the wounds of history, if only a bit. We will also work to commemorate the glorious heritage of Yemenite Jewry, which is intertwined with the history of our people."

In response to the decision, Union Sefaradi Mundial, a nonprofit devoted to commemorating the legacy of Sephardi Jewry, expressed disapproval of the restitution plan, calling it "offensive" the families.

"This is an attack on history and the pain the families have carried in their hearts from the day they lost their children. Restitution in and of itself is not enough. The government must admit the state's responsibility for the events of their children's disappearance. If three commissions of inquiry weren't enough, clear statements must be made accepting responsibility. The Yemenite, Mizrachi, and Balkan Children Affair must be written about in history books, and should not be attempted to be glossed over as if it never happened," the organization said.

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Seventy years after the disappearance of the children of Yemeni immigrants to Israel, the government on Monday was expected to approve the transfer of compensation to the relatives of the victims of the affair. According to Channel 12 News, the proposal to be presented to the government says: "The government of Israel expresses remorse for the events that occurred during the country's first days and recognizes the suffering of the families whose children were part of this painful affair."

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Compensation is expected to be provided for every child that disappeared. According to the arrangement, which was drafted following a lawsuit filed by the families, the relatives of children who died and didn't receive information about the circumstances of death will receive a one-time payment of 150,000 shekels. The families that still don't know anything about the fate of their children will receive 200,000 shekels.  Reception of the compensation will be contingent on the families signing a written letter foregoing any future lawsuits seeking money. Altogether, the country has allocated 162 million shekels for the families' compensation.

Hundreds of‎ ‎mostly Yemenite babies and toddlers went missing ‎between 1948 and 1954, the early years of Israel's ‎statehood, often from hospitals or medical clinics. Their parents were told the children had ‎died, but never received any bodies for burial or death ‎certificates. The children were allegedly ‎kidnapped and put up for adoption.‎

The government unsealed some of the ‎documents in the case in late 2016. ‎

At the time, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: ‎‎"This is an open wound that continues to bleed for ‎those families who were left in the dark, not ‎knowing what happened to their children. ‎Those families seek the truth and want to know what ‎happened. I believe it is time to find out what ‎happened and to right this wrong."‎

Thus far, some 3,500 files containing over 200,000 documents have been made public.

In recent years, Israel Hayom has released documents indicating the possible organized involvement of state bodies in the children's disappearance.

Yair Davidi, whose brother Zion disappeared when he was 1.5 years old, said of the government's compensation proposal: "We are very surprised at this decision because we have sought truth, not money. We're not here to ask for money. My parents, may they rest in peace, are no longer alive but their will and testament was for us to continue looking for [the children]. This [compensation] doesn't give us anything because it doesn't shed any light on what happened. We want to know what happened with these children. The only thing that has changed is that the state has taken responsibility for this matter. If they would take responsibility and continue to investigate, that would be more serious."

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