The occupation of the Gaza Strip … a high economic cost for Israel

Israeli estimates revealed, on Tuesday, that the costs of Israel occupying the Gaza Strip and imposing control will cost it an amount of approximately 6 billion dollars, while trying to prepare the sector for housing will cost approximately 27 billion dollars.

According to the newspaper “Israel Hume”, quoting Ram Omanah, who previously served as the actual financial advisor of the Israeli army, and he is a military economist, he said: “The chief of staff does not demand clear orders, how to define the military mission decisively, because every task greatly affects the budget and costs.”

According to the newspaper, preliminary estimates indicate that the army’s rush to control all areas of Gaza, which is currently not controlled, will cost between 10 to 20 billion shekels (2.9 to 5.8 billion dollars).

“We are talking about unimaginable costs, look at the international pressure that Israel faces today, and strike it at least five, to reduce this pressure, we will have to take care of the population in Gaza, there is no international party that will help pay the costs of that, as long as the current image of Israel is the same.”

It also explains that the practical assumption is that full control of the Gaza Strip, even without complete reconstruction, but with Israel bearing the responsibility of the population, will require one time cost of 100 billion shekels (29 billion dollars), and this includes waste removal, the establishment of basic housing, infrastructure for sanitation, water and electricity, and the establishment of health care centers.

In addition to initial spending, the annual cost of maintaining full control of Gaza is estimated between 60 and 130 billion shekels (17.4 to 37.6 billion dollars), this includes a partial responsibility for the educational system, enough to satisfy international scrutiny, fully provide food, and the position of Israeli army units with a periodic recycling of the reserve forces.

The Israeli expert continues: “On the essence of the matter, the greatest financial burden will be to keep the Israeli army inside the Strip to maintain the regime and ensure the safety of the forces.”

Omanah also highlighted the Department of Rehabilitation and Families Affairs in the Ministry of Defense, which pays compensation to the families of the dead soldiers, the medical rehabilitation of the injured, and the lifelong pensions of the obstacles with disabilities, which is a constant increase in.

The budget of this financial department is currently about 120 billion shekels (about 34 billion dollars), which will increase if Israel enters Gaza with its full power.

Omanah confirms that the decisive element in these numbers is the definition of the task, for example, for the Minister of Finance in Salafel Smotrich and the Minister of National Security Etamar bin Ghafir, the “full sovereignty” means rebuilding Israeli settlements in Gaza, and this will add the costs of establishing housing, providing security and continuous maintenance of civilian residents, all of which have not been included in the current estimates.