Netanyahu reportedly predicts that Gaza war could continue into 2025

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told local council heads of southern Israeli communities on Tuesday that the war in Gaza could continue into 2025.

The meeting included other members of the war cabinet and took place at the IDF’s Southern Command headquarters in Beersheva.

According to a local Channel 12 report, Netanyahu told the council heads about his projections for the war while discussing an agreement for a revised Defense Ministry policy to provide financial assistance for Israeli citizens preparing to return to evacuated communities near the Gaza border.

The local council chiefs told Netanyahu that most residents are still concerned about ongoing rocket fire from Gaza, as well as other security issues and are not ready to return to the southern Israeli communities yet. They asked for continued financial support from the state to provide temporary accommodations until the residents return to their homes in the summer and at the start of the new school year.

According to Channel 12, Netanyahu accepted their request and asked the council heads to draft the necessary papers outlining the details of their proposal.

In public comments at the beginning of the meeting, Netanyahu said: “We are determined to rehabilitate the kibbutzim and communities in what is known as the so-called Gaza envelope area, to return the residents to their homes, and to ensure that the area thrives and grows far more than it was before the war.”

The meeting comes just a day after the Prime Minister was able to push an amended $155 billion budget for 2024 through the war cabinet despite strong opposition from his own government. The budget includes an $18.6 billion spending increase and budget cuts to fund the war in Gaza.

The increase in spending includes funding for defense and compensation for those impacted by the war in addition to funding for healthcare, education, police and welfare.

“We reached an agreement, and we will now pass a very important budget. This is the war budget, which also takes care of the needs of our reservists, their families, the self-employed, and government ministries, and the needs of the public,” Netanyahu said.

“We are increasing the health budget and adding a billion shekels to it for mental health, an important need,” he went on. “There are increases to the education budget, the welfare budget, the internal security budget, but most importantly, the defense budget, which is simply essential for victory and for our future.”

The budget passed after an all-night meeting that ended with disagreements regarding across-the-board budget cuts. It will go on to the Knesset, where it must pass three readings in the plenum before it becomes law.

The amended budget was opposed by the National Unity party, with ministers Benny Gantz, Gadi Eisenkot, Gideon Sa’ar, Chili Tropper and Yifat Shasha-Biton voting against it.

Since the war began, Israel has spent billions of shekels on arms, payments for IDF reservists, temporary housing for evacuees, and security improvements inside Israel.

Among these initiatives are $4.9 billion to rebuild Gaza border towns and a $2.5 billion wartime assistance program for the 300,000 IDF reserve soldiers called to duty in the wake of Hamas’ brutal attack on Oct. 7 when Hamas terrorists brutally slaughtered 1,200 civilians, including women, children and the elderly.