The Heavy Price of Netanyahu’s Aimless War Falls on Israelis

According to Rokna, Avi Ashkenazi, a military correspondent for the Israeli daily Maariv, published a report today condemning Netanyahu’s military adventurism without any clear prospect, warning that the ongoing war in Gaza will exact an increasingly severe toll on Israelis.

Ashkenazi wrote that the Israeli army, under orders from Netanyahu’s cabinet, has expanded its operations without defined objectives and is currently occupying Gaza City, while Israelis themselves are calling for an end to the conflict and a deal with Hamas to secure the release of captives.

He further referred to alarming statistics recently circulating in Israeli media as a result of the Gaza war, describing them as deeply troubling for the future of the regime.

The first set of figures, released by the Rehabilitation Department of Israel’s Ministry of War, showed a sharp increase in the number of wounded soldiers classified as disabled, now exceeding 20,000 new cases identified by the department.

The second concerning statistic came from the Ministry of Finance, headed by Bezalel Smotrich, which reported a substantial rise in military spending. The increase is estimated at around 30 billion shekels, a figure that was projected even before the latest escalation of attacks on Gaza.

In addition, Ashkenazi noted a growing list of other burdens facing Israelis: the dire plight of captives in Gaza; expanding global sanctions ranging from harassment of Israeli tourists to widespread demonstrations worldwide; academic boycotts; suspension of commercial transactions; economic and military embargoes; political isolation; arrest warrants for Israeli political and security officials; and even deportations and visa cancellations for soldiers who took part in the Gaza war.

The burdens also weigh heavily on reserve forces, officers, and ordinary soldiers, with their families bearing the cost of a war described as futile, living in constant anxiety for their loved ones deployed in Gaza.

Further consequences include declining Israeli export capacity, damage to academic standards in higher education, and other negative effects stemming from the Gaza war.

Ashkenazi stressed that the fundamental problem is the lack of any thorough assessment by Israeli officials regarding the short-, medium-, or long-term implications of the conflict. He added that Israel’s political structure has failed to outline a clear prospect for ending the Gaza war.

Emphasizing that Israeli leaders must prioritize political solutions over military approaches and reach an agreement with Hamas, he warned that under current conditions the Gaza war risks reverting to its starting point, with Israelis paying an even heavier and broader price for Netanyahu’s continued military adventurism.