Budget of Terror

Unemployment is a staggering 50% in Gaza. The average monthly wage of those employed inside Gaza is less than $500 a month. The fiscal challenges facing Hamas was in full view this past May when the government was unable to meet payroll for its 50,000 employees. Awni Al-Basha, the deputy minister of Hamas, explained that the government was going through an escalating financial crisis, with continuous increases in the deficit month after month. Hamas officials laid blame for the shortfall on Qatar’s delayed $30M monthly aid to Gaza.

What wasn’t shared with governmental employees or other Gazan residents was the off the books costs of the Al Aqsa Storm mission. Provided below is a rough estimate of the costs for training, munitions and public relations associated with the planning and execution of the terror assault on Israel on October 7^th.

The creation of this fictional 2023 FY P&L may be over or under estimating costs. Its purpose is to highlight the choice of allocating funds for violence rather than bettering the lives of the residents of Gaza. $200 million dollars would be of great benefit to those in Gaza who are unemployed, the employed who live below the poverty line and to the Hamas government workers who need their paychecks paid on time. Let alone those brutally murdered and taken hostage.