Israel will directly fund Gaza aid with billions of shekels, Finance Minister Smotrich confirms

As part of Israel’s efforts to improve the provision of aid to the Gaza Strip, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich confirmed on Wednesday that his ministry will dedicate billions of additional shekels for aid.

Speaking to the Jerusalem Post, Smotrich confirmed the transfers but noted, “I’m not interested in the Gazans. What interests me is victory and the complete destruction of Hamas.”

Kan News reported earlier this week that Smotrich, who had long opposed using any Israeli funds to support humanitarian aid for Gazan civilians, had approved transferring billions of shekels.

The report did not note where the funds would be used, whether for the establishment of the proposed “humanitarian city” in southern Gaza or for the humanitarian mechanism in general.

Smotrich has been supportive of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans to take over the entire Gaza Strip, which could be a reason for the finance minister’s change of mind.

The new operation is estimated to last five months and could displace up to a million Gazan civilians, who will have to receive aid and shelter in the southern part of the enclave.

Amid a diplomatic tsunami of criticism, Israel last week drastically changed its aid policies, deciding to preempt criticism by flooding the enclave with aid, and approving several measures like the renewal of airdrops.

“Right now, the funding is international, but if necessary, we’ll do it ourselves,” Smotrich explained. “The whole world is pressuring us: Europe is pushing us to stop [military operations], Hamas wants us to stop, and so does the Israeli Left – but I’m doing everything I can to ensure we continue until total defeat [of Hamas].”

“The war is already costing NIS 300 billion,” Smotrich told the Post.

“I’m now legislating a special defense fund to address the front against Iran, but I also want to include a dedicated budget that will allow us to establish logistical centers and, if needed, fund the aid to the population ourselves instead of continuing to send trucks to Hamas.”

“I hope that tomorrow a clear decision will finally be made to go all-in on Gaza – to conquer it entirely and defeat Hamas militarily,” Smotrich said.

“Without civilian and economic strangulation, there is no chance of winning. This is the way to bring the hostages home. This is the path to victory,” he concluded.

The Kan report noted that part of the needed funds will be generated through budget cuts to other ministries.

It is unclear how Israel’s increased budget for aid relates to the American plans to take over and ramp up the aid distribution mechanism in Gaza.

U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee said on Thursday that the U.S. plans to scale up the number of sites operated by the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) to 16, and to “begin to operate them as much as 24 hours a day to get more food to more people more efficiently.”

The expansion will be funded by some $1 billion in donations from the U.S. and other, unnamed countries.

Despite Israel lifting many of the restrictions on aid over the last weeks, an EU official told Reuters that it wasn’t enough.

“Significant obstructive factors continue to undermine humanitarian operations and aid delivery to Gaza, notably the lack of a safe operating environment to allow the distribution of aid at scale,” the official claimed.

However, he acknowledged improvements regarding fuel delivery, the reopening of more routes, an upward trend in the number of daily trucks entering the enclave, and more.