Ahead of budget amendment vote, Netanyahu says war will take ‘many more months’

Ahead of a cabinet vote on a wartime amendment to the 2024 budget, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu notes that the ongoing war will “take many more months.”

Noting that it is 100 days since the October 7 massacres, Netanyahu says that half of the hostages have been brought back and “we are not giving up on anyone; we are doing everything to bring everyone home, everyone, with no exceptions.”

Netanyahu says that it is clear “that we must manage this war. It will take many more months. Therefore we are bringing a war budget today.” He notes that it includes “much greater security expenses that we had intended” in the original 2024 budget passed last year.

He promises that the budget amendment also includes special grants to reserve soldiers and to the families of reservists as well as independent freelancers.

Netanyahu concludes by saying that he intends to pass the budget amendment within a day, “up to 24 hours. I am prepared to sit here as long as it takes, if it’s possible tonight we will finish this. We will bring a war budget to the State of Israel, a budget that promises us security and a future.”