Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government on Tuesday evening voted to approve a NIS 31 billion ($9 billion) increase to the 2025 state budget — NIS 1.6 billion ($473 million) of which will go toward humanitarian aid for Gaza.

This angered some members of Netanyahu’s cabinet as well as opposition figures like Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman, who accused the government of “paying taxes to Hamas.” The additional funds will still require the approval of the Knesset.

The increase will primarily go toward defense spending and will be accompanied by an across-the-board cut of 3.35 percent of ministerial budgets set to go into effect at the beginning of next year.

According to the Ynet news site, the ministries with already larger budgets will be the most influenced by the cuts, with the National Security Ministry set to face the biggest slash to its spending.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Education Minister Yoav Kisch said in a joint statement on Tuesday morning that they would oppose the budget proposal being presented to the government unless it included funding for security at educational institutions in the coming school year. Kisch also warned that failing to allocate the money could delay the start of the school year.

Speaking during the cabinet meeting, Kisch complained that while aid to Gaza was being increased, he had not received the funds he requested for........

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