Watan-The Hebrew newspaper “Yedioth Ahronoth” acknowledged the significant losses suffered by the Israeli occupation in its war against the Gaza Strip, affirming that the financial cost and human losses are the largest in its history. The newspaper specifically discussed the economic, social, and psychological consequences of the brutal military campaign.
According to the Israeli newspaper, three months after the war, the occupying forces did not achieve their objectives from the brutal conflict. On the contrary, they incurred historical costs and faced difficulties unprecedented since the beginning of the military campaign on October 7, 2023.
Severe material damage was inflicted on buildings and infrastructure, especially in the Gaza border area. Additionally, damages increased in regions and towns near the Lebanese borders.
The cost of the Israeli occupation war on Gaza in numbers
The daily cost for the Israeli occupation army in October 2023 was one billion shekels per day. This includes the cost of the reserve forces, with 360,000 of them being enlisted at the beginning of the war.
After the discharge of tens of thousands of soldiers in recent days, the current daily cost is around 600 million shekels. This means that the overall cost since the beginning of the war until today exceeds 217 billion shekels (approximately 1 USD equals about 3.66 shekels).
The cost of material damages ranges between 5 and 7 billion shekels in towns near the borders with Lebanon, in addition to between 15 and 20 billion shekels in the Gaza border area.
This cost includes the budgets for army battles, as well as extensive aid needed by the Israeli economy in various sectors.
The Israeli occupation is suffering from a massive deficit of about 111 billion shekels in the general state budget. This will later require austerity measures and a tax increase of about 67 billion shekels, leading to a lower standard of living and other repercussions for the settlers.
“Yedioth Ahronoth” added that the Israeli occupation has been affected by losses in various areas, including personal security, the economy, and social aspects. It did not achieve the war’s objectives, such as dismantling the capabilities of the Hamas movement and the release of Israeli prisoners.
Scaling back the objectives of the Israeli occupation in Gaza
Yedioth Ahronoth clarified that the objective of the Israeli occupation in the Gaza war shifted from eliminating the movement at the beginning of the military operation to dismantling it. Since the renewal of negotiations for a new deal, attempts to secure the release of living Israeli prisoners have failed.
The Israeli occupation also failed to achieve other objectives of the war, such as assassinating senior officials in the military leadership of Palestinian resistance. This includes leaders from Hamas, such as Mohammad al-Daif, Marwan Issa, Yahya Sinwar, and Mohammad Sinwar.
Furthermore, the operations of the Israeli forces in Gaza were slow, despite elite forces leading alongside seven divisions conducting daily raids against the defense system of the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas.
Human losses and permanent disabilities
The newspaper pointed to previous statements by Hertzi Halevi, the Chief of Staff of the Israeli military, in which he stated that “there are no shortcuts or magical solutions in this war.”
The occupation forces have announced the death of 177 soldiers since the start of the ground war and more than 511 since the beginning of the “Operation Sovereign Flood.” Recent Israeli reports indicate that the number of disabled soldiers may reach 20,000 by the end of the war, with permanent disabilities.
According to sources, the Israeli occupation army has not witnessed such numbers since the October 1973 war and the first Lebanon war, and these figures are likely to increase as the war has not yet ended.
“Yedioth Ahronoth” spoke about what it described as social disintegration within the Israeli occupation, as hotels have turned the lives of settlers into a “social pressure cooker,” according to the newspaper’s description.
These hotels have turned the lives of their residents upside down after spending three months away from home, with families crowded into small rooms. All of this has led to a change in their daily and educational habits and an increase in psychological difficulties.
Fear and panic
A state of fear and panic prevails among Israeli settlers due to a lack of personal security. This has led to a significant demand for firearm licenses.
According to Yedioth Ahronoth, since the start of the war, approximately 288,000 Israelis have applied for firearm licenses, an unprecedented number.
Up to now, about 45,000 new licenses have been issued, in addition to approximately 70,000 approvals awaiting completion of procedures.
Armed security teams have also been deployed in many towns, including “towns in the central region,” as part of measures taken following the events of October 7 in the Gaza border area.
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