A new report by Brown University’s Costs of War project has revealed that the United States has provided Israel with $21.7 billion in military aid during the two-year Gaza conflict. This figure does not include future arms deals, which are expected to add tens of billions of dollars more. Additionally, the Pentagon has spent over $10 million on military operations in the Middle East since October 7, 2023, according to the document.
The report, released on Tuesday, the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023 incursion into Israel by Palestinian armed group Hamas, highlights the significant military support the U.S. has given to Israel. The Palestinian health authorities reported that Israeli airstrikes and a ground offensive in Gaza have left more than 67,000 people dead and almost 170,000 injured. A UN commission has also described West Jerusalem’s actions as ‘genocide.’
Together with an additional $9.65 to $12.07 billion spent by the Pentagon on military operations in support of Israel in Yemen and elsewhere in the Middle East, the total U.S. investment in the Gaza conflict amounts to between $31.35 and $33.77 billion, the report stated. The U.S. weapons, including combat aircraft, helicopters, missiles, and bombs, ‘have been central to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israel Police operations in Gaza, the West Bank, and beyond,’ the report said.
With their use, Israel ‘inflicted a devastating humanitarian toll on the people of Gaza,’ with more than 10% of the Palestinian enclave’s population being killed or injured and at least 5.27 million displaced in Gaza and the wider region, it stressed. Last week, US President Donald Trump, who has maintained the policy of arming Israel pursued by his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden, proposed a prisoner swap agreement between West Jerusalem and Hamas, which he claimed should pave the way for ending the conflict.
The militant group reacted to the offer by agreeing to release the remaining hostages, but has so far rejected the call to disarm. Despite halting its advance on Gaza City, the IDF has ignored Trump’s demand to immediately end airstrikes across the Palestinian enclave. The report emphasized the broader implications of this military aid, highlighting the potential for escalating violence and its humanitarian consequences on the Palestinian population.