Potential Israeli military control of Gaza to cost $7bln annually

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
3 Dec 2024 10:20
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The estimates indicate that approximately 20 billion shekels (over $5 billion) would be required to fund military operations in Gaza, including the maintenance of four divisions, and reservist service days.

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Palestinians look at destruction by brutal Israeli airstrikes in Deir al-Balah, on November 22, 2023. (AP)

The Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported that security and military sources have estimated the cost of imposing military control over the Gaza Strip at a minimum of 25 billion shekels annually, roughly $7 billion.

The estimates indicate that approximately 20 billion shekels (over $5 billion) would be required to fund military operations in Gaza, including the maintenance of four divisions, reservist service days, and other related expenses.

In addition, the cost of running the civil administration mechanism would amount to hundreds of millions of shekels per year, with an extra 5 to 10 billion shekels annually needed for the provision of "basic civil services to Gaza's Palestinian population," according to the broadcaster.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, speaking at a conference of the Settlement Council, dismissed the financial concerns, claiming, "They scare me with the costs, but there is no bigger lie than that." He added, "It doesn't cost much money. I was told it would cost $5 billion, but it will cost at most a few hundred million."

Previously, security officials estimated that the cost of "administering Gaza" would be 20 billion shekels annually, with 400 new positions added to the Israeli military.

According to the Broadcasting Corporation, five divisions would "operate" regularly in Gaza, "overseeing" a population of 2.3 million Palestinians. The broadcaster noted that these budget estimates are primarily operational projections.

This comes as the Israeli occupation strengthened its presence in central Gaza in recent months by building up bases and demolishing Palestinian buildings, indicating preparations for long-term control, according to Israeli officials and recent satellite imagery.

Since the war's early stages, Israeli occupation forces have controlled the four-mile Netzarim corridor in Gaza, preventing forcibly displaced people from returning North. Over time, this area has expanded into an 18-square-mile zone under Israeli control, according to the Israeli military and satellite image analysis by the New York Times (NYT).

In the past three months, Israeli soldiers have demolished over 600 buildings along the Netzarim corridor, seemingly to establish a buffer zone. Additionally, they have quickly expanded a network of outposts equipped with communication towers and defensive fortifications.

The expansion has fueled speculation about Israeli plans regarding Gaza's future. Occupation leaders have expressed their plans to maintain occupation over Gaza after the war, even though the present specifics seem unclear. On that note, military analysts affirm the analysis, detailing that such expansion in infrastructure could be part of the Israeli plan.

Smotrich calls for 'Israel's' complete occupation of northern Gaza

Israeli occupation Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has lately urged for the full occupation of the northern Gaza Strip to force Hamas to release Israeli captives.

“To bring the hostages home, we must occupy northern Gaza entirely and tell Hamas that if they don’t return them, we will stay there forever, costing Gaza a third of its territory,” Smotrich told a meeting of his Religious Zionism Party.

Since October 5, the Israeli occupation military has imposed a tight siege on northern Gaza, under the pretext of preventing the Palestinian Resistance from regrouping.

According to Gaza health authorities, the strict siege has resulted in the killing of over 2,000 Palestinians.

Smotrich, advocating for the continuation of the Israeli war on the Palestinian territory, rejected the notion of a ceasefire with Hamas.

“Reaching an agreement with Hamas to end the war would mean surrender and defeat,” he pointed out

“We will continue until Hamas is eliminated and an agreement is reached under which it surrenders. We won’t stop until our enemies are destroyed and security is fully restored to the State of Israel,” he said.

While the Israeli army continues to grapple with achieving its objectives in Gaza, the Israeli minister claimed that "by the end of this war, we will have full freedom of action in Gaza and will not accept any settlement worth less than the paper it’s written on.”

In late October, the Israeli minister said that in the wake of the October 2023 events, the Israeli entity “can and must apply Israeli sovereignty in [the West Bank] and in Gaza."

Speaking at the so-called Middle East Summit, a conference hosted by Israel 365—a media platform targeting American evangelicals—Smotrich argued that "Israel" should abandon “wrong concepts” of a "two-state solution".

He called for an “unequivocal Israeli statement” to the Arab world and beyond, declaring that “a Palestinian state will not be established.”

This stance, Smotrich emphasized, should be underscored by “the establishment of new cities and settlements deep in the [West Bank] and bringing hundreds of thousands of additional settlers to live in them.”

The Israeli minister further advocated for Israeli control over the Gaza Strip, pointing out that last year's events represented “painful evidence” that the prolonged absence of a military presence in the besieged Palestinian territory endangers "Israel" and Israeli settlers, "and we must not allow this.”