Israel has spent nearly $42 billion on the war in the Gaza Strip, an average of $83.8 million per day.
The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the war had cost 150 billion shekels (about $42 billion) by mid-January, citing Gil Pinchas, economic adviser to the Israeli army chief of staff and head of the budget committee at the Defense Ministry.
The same source said that Israel’s average daily costs for the war in Gaza were about 300 million shekels (83.8 million dollars).
It also said that one night of defending Israeli skies, with the help of an international coalition, from Iranian missile attacks cost a billion shekels (279 million dollars).
On October 1 last year, Iran launched about 180 ballistic missiles at Israel in what Tehran said was retaliation for earlier assassinations of Hezbollah and Hamas leaders and the commander of the Revolutionary Guard.
Yedioth Ahronoth reports that the largest item of expenditure in Israel’s defense budget was funding for the reserve army, which reached 45 billion shekels ($12.5 billion).
The ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Hamas and Israel came into effect on January 19. The first phase will last 42 days, during which negotiations for the next phases of the agreement will continue. The agreement is being brokered by Egypt and Qatar, with the support of the United States.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed more than 47,400 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them women and children, and injured more than 111,000.
During that period, 11,000 people are reported missing in Gaza, and the enclave’s infrastructure has been devastated. The Gaza Strip has become the scene of one of the worst global humanitarian disasters ever.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide charge at the International Court of Justice, AA writes.
