Since the war in Gaza began last year, the US has given Israel $17.9 billion in military aid, according to a report by Brown University’s Costs of War project. Additionally, the US has spent $4.86 billion on increased military operations in the region since October 7, 2023.
This aid includes costs for a Navy-led campaign to prevent attacks on commercial shipping by Yemen’s Houthis in the Red Sea. Most of the US military aid to Israel has been in the form of munitions, such as artillery shells, 2,000-pound bunker-buster bombs, and precision-guided munitions. The expenditures also cover $4 billion to replenish Israel’s Iron Dome and David’s Sling missile defense systems, as well as funds for rifles and jet fuel.
Despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire, Israel has continued its offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by Hamas on October 7 last year. Local health authorities report that nearly 41,900 people, mostly women and children, have been killed, and over 97,100 others injured. The conflict has displaced almost the entire population of Gaza, leading to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.
Efforts by the US, Egypt, and Qatar to mediate a cease-fire and prisoner swap between Israel and Hamas have failed due to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to stop the war. Israel is now facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.