According to an assessment of the Israel Defense Forces Home Front Command, the cost of reinforcing buildings in the western Negev town of Sderot and in the Gaza envelope against Qassam rockets is approximately NIS 1 billion.

The assessment covers only 7,000 homes in the Gaza envelope's four municipalities and in the town of Sderot, and does not include the cost of reinforcing buildings in the city of Ashkelon, which is home to over 100,000 residents and has recently come to be within the range Qassam rockets can travel.

While Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has already made a decision in principle to reinforce homes in the Gaza envelope, no decision has been made on the budget for reinforcement.

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Fears have been growing in Gaza envelope communities in light of the IDF Southern Command's projections of an escalation in the security situation, which could lead militants to fire hundreds of Qassam rockets daily.

Currently, none of the Gaza envelope communities have shelters designed for extended stay, and most homes have no reinforced rooms.

Earlier this week, Alon Schuster, head of the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council, sent Olmert a letter in which he asked the prime minister to find budgetary resources for the reinforcement.

Were the scenario of hundreds of Qassam landings a day to materialize, Schuster would have no solution to offer Sha'ar Hanegev area residents other than evacuation.

The Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council and other councils in the area have drafted contingency evacuation plans, but these plans were initiated by the councils, and not by the state.

Thousands of residents live in the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council, in what the Israel Defense Forces term "Qassam range," 7 kilometer. The actual range of Qassams is significantly longer.

Gaza envelope residents began demanding building reinforcement after the first Qassam rockets landed in the area in 2001. Around the same time, the state approved a plan to reinforce Kibbutz Nahal Oz, but the authorization marked the end of reinforcement activities.

In January, Olmert decided to go forward with building reinforcement and NIS 10 million was allotted in order to conduct the Home Front Command assessment of reinforcement costs. As part of the assessment, the Home Front Command examined several possible solutions and discussed costs with contractors and suppliers.

While the assessment is not yet complete, the Home Front Command says it is certain costs will reach approximately NIS 1 billion.

"We can also decide that the state will invest some funds and the citizens will invest the rest," said the Home Front Command. If the building of protected rooms within houses is included in reinforcement activities, homeowners would be required to participate in building costs.

Before the plans are put forth, the Defense Ministry must first decide which reinforcement proposal it intends to present to the government along with a detailed budget proposal.