JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL 

Israel’s military expenses surged to $76.3 billion since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict two years ago, official data showed on Tuesday.

Israel’s public broadcaster KAN, citing finance ministry data, said that the war expenses have so far totaled 250 billion shekels ($76.3 billion).

According to senior ministry officials, the defense establishment misused reserve service days, leading to “the waste of billions of shekels” in payments to reservists during service periods.

Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich told a press conference on Tuesday that it was “necessary to increase the defense budget to enable growth in Israel’s economy in the coming years,” without elaborating further.

No details were provided on where the expenses were made, though the total is believed to include costs from Israel’s military campaigns in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran since October 2023.

The Gaza war came to a halt under the first phase of a ceasefire deal that took effect on Oct. 10, under US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan.

Phase one includes the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The plan also envisages the rebuilding of Gaza and the establishment of a new governing mechanism without Hamas.

Since October 2023, the Israeli genocidal war has killed nearly 69,000 people and injured more than 170,300, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.