Israel will raise its defense budget by 42bn shekels (about $12.5bn) for 2025–2026, the finance and defense ministries announced Thursday.
The funding will support urgent military needs and strengthen security amid ongoing conflicts. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the budget covers operations in Gaza and preparations for wider threats, Xinhua reported.
Defense spending currently stands at 110bn shekels—around 9 percent of Israel’s GDP.
Since resuming its Gaza offensive on March 18, over 7,800 Palestinians have been killed, bringing the total death toll to nearly 59,000, according to Gaza health officials. The conflict began after the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel, according to Xinhua.
