The Knesset, Israel’s lower house, on Wednesday approved a supplementary budget for 2024 that foresees a big increase in public spending to finance the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which entered its sixth month last week.

The law on public finances was adopted with the votes of 62 members of the Knesset. There were 55 abstentions, who voted against him.

“Due to war-related expenses (…) the spending limit increases by 70.4 billion shekels (17.6 billion euros), or by 14.55% compared to it (p.s. the budget) approved in May 2023,” the Israeli parliament explained.

Via X (the former Twitter), Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right baron, praised the “war budget”. “Together we will win,” he assured.

The Knesset had already approved in December a supplementary budget for 2023, which included new appropriations for the war against Hamas.

The war erupted after Hamas’s military arm launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel targeting the Gaza Strip on October 7, which killed 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli data. .

In retaliation, Israel vowed to “eliminate” Hamas, which the US and EU label a “terrorist” organization, and Israeli military operations since then have killed at least 31,272 people in the Gaza Strip, the vast majority of them women and children, according to the Hamas Health Ministry.