The newspaper "Yedioth Ahronoth" reported that the war in Gaza poses unprecedented challenges and difficulties in Israel, with the worsening situation of local communities, the desire of reserve soldiers to return home, and increasing global pressure to mitigate civilian casualties in Gaza, amidst repeated crises hitting the Israeli economy.
Three months into the war in Gaza, the newspaper noted that the cost of the Israeli war on the territory has reached $60 billion, and yet the objectives of eliminating Hamas leaders and recovering hostages have not yet been achieved. Currently, the cost of the war is estimated at nearly $272 million per day, with each reserve soldier earning $82 daily, totaling $2.5 billion just for these payments. This encompasses the war budget along with various forms of financial aid for every civilian whose income has diminished due to the conflict.
On the civilian front, compensations have already reached tens of billions; however, these compensations have started to decline as the Israeli public gradually adjusts to a "routine of war." Companies that have significantly lost their income are expected to receive a compensation of $2.7 billion for those three months, according to the newspaper.
It is clear, as the newspaper observes, that a significant portion of the damage has been inflicted on kibbutzim surrounding the area, where entire communities have been destroyed, and local infrastructure set ablaze, with damages estimated at around $5.5 billion. The same situation is now recurring in the north, amid ongoing shelling by Hezbollah, where financial losses amount to approximately $1.6 billion.
The war's cost has cast a shadow over the state's budget, with the newspaper explaining that a deficit of around $30 billion is anticipated, which will necessitate budget cuts and tax increases of over $18 billion, significantly affecting the quality of life and reducing services for the general Israeli public.
The newspaper also discussed the cost of evacuating populations from northern and southern Israel, indicating that there are about 125,000 people, with care for them already costing billions.
**War Causes Internal Crises**
The war has negatively impacted the quality of education in Israel, which had already suffered after the COVID-19 pandemic. Israeli students are feeling the effects through declining educational quality and ongoing social isolation issues, and now the war in Gaza means the educational front has reached a dead end.
It explained that evacuees have suffered more than others, as children are forced to adjust to entirely different environments, presenting mental challenges that some may not be equipped to handle.
The newspaper highlighted another crisis concerning reserve officers in the Israeli army, noting their anxiety over false promises regarding the time when they will be reunited with their families, as the dynamics of the war eliminate the possibility of predicting when it will end.
It stated that even if officers are allowed to return home, it is only a matter of time before they are called up again, and perhaps this time they will be deployed in the north to face Hezbollah or in the West Bank to deal with various cells in Jenin and Ramallah.
