The Defense Ministry is asking for an addition of 60 billion shekels to its budget to pay for the war against Iran and the latest offensive on Gaza, both military operations that were not included in the 2025 budget bill.

But in the Finance Ministry officials refuse to increase allocation of funds and have been causing a delay in the IDF’s ability to replenish munitions including Arrow missile interceptors and protected vehicles for troops in Gaza.

2 View gallery Outdated Hummer jeeps in Gaza ( Photo: Yoav Zitun )

Senior defense officials said the Finance Ministry was even withholding funds already approved by a joint Finance and Defense Ministry commission established to decide on a budget to meet Israel’s defense needs in the coming years.

They said the Finance Ministry was responding to the increase in IDF reserve soldiers being called up over the past year, costing up to 1.2 billion shekels per month. “What can you do when the military needs the reserve force more than originally planned?” the officials asked. “The ground offensive on Gaza was not in the budget plan and required reserve soldiers to serve more. The Home Front Command also needed tens of thousands of reserve troops.”

IDF intercepts a missle over Eilat

The defense officials noted that Finance Minister Bezalel Smortich, who also serves as a minister in the Defense Ministry, was privy to the plans to attack Iran and aware of the economic repercussions.

The IDF has demanded Defense Ministry officials to purchase at least 500 Hummer vehicles for deployment in Gaza since many of the troops have been moving in outdated vehicles, clocking over a million kilometers, that often breakdown. “Troops have been using jeeps already hit by anti-tank missiles or damaged by explosives,” military officers said.

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Some 632 jeeps already in production have been ordered, although the funds for their procurement are still being withheld by the Finance Ministry and, if the deals are not complete, the IDF said, the vehicles would be snapped up by other military forces.

The military is also unable to replenish munitions needed by the Air Force for defensive and offensive operations. Media outlets in the United States reported a shortage in Arrow Missile interceptors during the 12 days of fighting against Iran. Those interceptors are required to defend against the ongoing missile fire from the Houthi rebels in Yemen and will be needed for another round of fighting over Iran, which the military warned could come sooner than expected.

The Finance Ministry said that the uptick in sales by Israel’s defense industries could offset the shortage of funding for the military. Ministry officials have demanded that the IDF “stop wasting ” reserve forces’ deployment claiming they are unnecessary.

IDF officials said they are waiting for the urgent intervention of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the dispute with the Finance Ministry.