Disagreements within the Israeli government have escalated regarding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's intention to proceed with a full occupation of the Gaza Strip, following his failure to reach a new ceasefire agreement or a prisoner exchange deal. In this context, a report from the Hebrew site "Calcalist" revealed that the option of occupying the strip is currently ruled out, despite being adopted by Netanyahu, as it noted that the Ministry of Finance has not yet conducted a study on the cost of this scenario.

The report questioned who would fund the Gaza occupation plan, clarifying that sources in the Ministry of Finance confirmed that the Israeli army informed them that this issue is not on the agenda, and that financial calculations for this option have not been prepared. It also pointed out that Netanyahu is promoting a policy of occupying the strip, contrary to the position of the military leadership and Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, who clearly opposes the idea.

Regarding the costs, the report confirmed that the Ministry of Finance has not received an official request from Finance Minister Smotrich to conduct financial calculations, which makes sense, as publishing massive financial estimates could burden the Israeli economy and hinder support for the plan in public discourse, especially since Smotrich does not see an interest in publicly revealing the costs.

It noted that one of the entities that attempted to estimate the costs is the Institute for National Security Studies, which estimated that the cost of military occupation ranges between 20 and 25 billion shekels annually, including funding for four military divisions consisting of 58,000 to 80,000 soldiers, in addition to civil activity costs estimated at ten billion shekels annually, bringing the total to about 35 billion shekels annually.

The site pointed out that the economic situation in Gaza has deteriorated significantly, making it impossible to rely on the strip's economy as a source for funding military rule, especially after the comprehensive destruction that has befallen the strip, which imposes high costs to meet basic needs such as water, electricity, and healthcare.

In conclusion, the report confirmed that cost calculations are still not final, and there are many questions about whether Israel will bear all the costs, and whether there will be additional costs for rehabilitating the infrastructure in Gaza, emphasizing the need to handle the figures with caution, given the lack of clarity regarding future scenarios.