Gaza Strip to cost Israel 2% of GDP

Israel's full military occupation of the Gaza Strip could cost the country an estimated 35 billion shekels ($10 billion) annually, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing professor of economics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Esteban Klor.

According to  Klor, the estimated annual cost of such an occupation - covering soldiers and civilian services - would account for about 2% of Israel’s GDP  that hasn't been budgeted for. It also doesn't include the cost of rebuilding Gaza's infrastructure.

Maintaining control in Gaza would require a continuous military presence in a hostile environment, he noted.