Netanyahu considers closing some ministries to cut spending: Israeli media

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering closing some small government ministries in an attempt to control expenses, according to local media on Monday.

Netanyahu is considering retaining ministers within his cabinet but without portfolio to avoid a potential coalition crisis, Israeli radio Reshet Bet said.

A meeting is scheduled for next Thursday to discuss the general budget and decisions regarding the potential closure of small ministries are being weighed, it added.

The radio also noted that the current budget may lead to the dismantling of the emergency government.

The Finance Ministry estimated last week that the war will cost at least another 50 billion shekels ($14 billion) in 2024, potentially increasing the budget deficit to approximately 6% of the gross domestic product if the war continues until February.

The ministry on Dec. 4 raised its estimate of the war's cost to 191 billion shekels ($51 billion) over the past year, with the ongoing war on the Gaza Strip.

Israel has launched air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Oct. 7.

At least 23,084 Palestinians have since been killed and 58,926 others injured, according to Gaza's health authorities, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with 60% of the enclave's infrastructure damaged or destroyed, and nearly 2 million residents displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicines.