Can siblings inherit in Israel if there is no surviving spouse or children?

Israeli intestacy follows a parentela system that divides potential heirs into ranked family groups. Section 10 of the Succession Law 5725-1965 lists the legal heirs in order: the spouse, then the children and their descendants, then the parents and their descendants, then the grandparents and their descendants. Each group inherits only if no one in a closer group survives. With no spouse and no children, the estate moves to the second branch, the parents. A surviving parent takes their share directly, while the share of a parent who has died passes by representation to that parent's other children, the deceased's siblings, who divide it equally. Half-siblings inherit through the parent they share. A succession order from the Registrar of Inheritance Affairs formally records who the heirs are.

For a foreign family, the practical issue is proof of relationship. The Registrar needs documents showing the deceased left no spouse and no children, plus evidence of the surviving parents or siblings, often birth certificates, marriage records, and the death certificates of any relative who predeceased. Foreign documents usually need an apostille and a notarized Hebrew translation. Where siblings are scattered across countries, one heir can act through a notarized power of attorney rather than everyone traveling to Israel. Disputes are common when an estate skips down to siblings, so confirm early whether the deceased left any will, because a valid will overrides this entire intestate order. The full guide on inheritance law in Israel for foreigners sets out the document checklist.

From the full guide: Distributing an Israeli Estate: A Step-by-Step Guide

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