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Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Sunday said the cost of rebuilding Gaza was not his problem, reported The Spectator Index. His remark came as Israel’s war against Hamas continues to rage with more than 31,500 Palestinians killed.

The war began on October 7 when Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and seizing 253 hostages.

Much of Gaza has been reduced to rubble after Israel launched its ground and air campaign on the Palestinian enclave.

In January, the head of the Palestine Investment Fund said at least USD 15 billion will be needed to rebuild houses in Gaza, according to a report by Reuters news agency.

The Chairman of the group, Mohammed Mustafa, cited international reports and said 350,000 housing units had been completely or partially damaged in Gaza.

The cost does not include the amount that would be required to rebuild the infrastructure that was damaged during the ongoing war, including hospitals, said Mustafa.

As per the Reuters report, a decade ago, Qatar spent over USD 1 billion on housing and relief projects in Gaza following the 2014 war between Hamas and Israel, which lasted seven weeks and killed 2,100 Palestinians.

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