In recent days, large-scale security works have been carried out at the private residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Gaza Street in Jerusalem. The work, which includes the use of giant cranes, trucks, tractors and other heavy mechanical equipment, has disrupted the lives of residents on the street, particularly since much of it is being carried out at night.
As a result of the construction, Netanyahu is not currently living at the Gaza Street home, and his wife, Sara Netanyahu, has been in Miami for the past two weeks. It remains unclear when she is expected to return.
This is not the first time extensive renovation and security work have been carried out at the Gaza Street residence. In the past, a bomb shelter and an elevator were installed, along with significant fortifications against drone threats, following a drone strike on Netanyahu’s private villa in Caesarea in October last year. Parts of the structure and its windows were also reinforced.
The renovation work is being funded by taxpayers, even though this is Netanyahu’s private home and not the official prime minister’s residence on Balfour Street, which is also undergoing renovations. The cost of the renovation at Balfour Street is estimated at 103 million shekels, with completion expected in approximately six months, although other estimates suggest a significant additional delay. In practice, taxpayers are covering renovation costs for both Netanyahu’s official and private residences.
Significant security work is once again being carried out at the Gaza Street property, requiring structural changes to the building and causing considerable distress to residents. Much of the work is being done at night, and in some cases, it requires partial closures of the road and sidewalks.
Neighbors reported that giant cranes have been used to lift steel beams weighing about a ton, along with armored construction additions intended to strengthen the building’s defenses. They said the work produces deafening noise during nighttime hours, when such construction is prohibited.
Officials at the Prime Minister’s Office said the work involves the final stages of security adjustments and fortification, adding that Sara Netanyahu is staying in Miami for a short period unrelated to the renovations at the Gaza Street apartment. They said they could not comment on the prime minister’s place of residence for obvious reasons.