Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’” - 1 Samuel 15:3
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US gave Israel $21.7 billion in military aid during Gaza conflict – report
The US has provided Israel with $21.7 billion in military assistance during the two years of the conflict in Gaza, a new report has said.
The paper by the Costs of War project at Brown University’s Watson School of International and Public Affairs was released on Tuesday, the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023 incursion into Israel by Palestinian armed group Hamas, in which 1,200 people were killed and 250 others taken hostage.
Israeli airstrikes and a ground offensive in Gaza, launched in response to the attack, have left more than 67,000 people dead and almost 170,000 injured, according to the Palestinian health authorities. Last month, a UN commission 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 overall US investment in the Gaza conflict amounts to between $31.35 and $33.77 billion, the report stated.
The figure, which was based on open source data, did not include tens of billions of dollars worth of arms to be paid for and delivered in the coming years in line with deals earlier agreed between Washington and West Jerusalem, it added.
The US 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.
https://web.archive.org/web/20251007192745/https://www.rt.com/news/626034-israel-us-weapons-gaza/
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Gaza devastation/ruins pictured
Costs of War
Promoting research and public awareness of the human, economic, social, and environmental costs of U.S. militarism
About Costs of War
The Costs of War project publishes public-facing research about the broad consequences of U.S. military operations and spending, including their domestic effects, and the ongoing costs of the U.S. post-9/11 wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and beyond.
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Summary of Key Findings
- In the two years since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, the U.S. government has spent $21.7 billion on military aid to Israel.
- The U.S. has spent an additional $9.65 – $12.07 billion on military operations in Yemen and the wider region since October 7, 2023, for a total of $31.35 – $33.77 billion and counting in U.S. spending on the post-10/7 wars.
- As of October 3, 2025, 67,075 people in Gaza have been killed and 169,430 people injured according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. These 236,505 casualties constitute more than 10% of the pre-war population in Gaza.
- At least 5.27 million people have fled or been forced to leave their homes (as of early September 2025) in the post-Oct.7, 2023 wars in Gaza, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, and the West Bank. This total includes an estimated 1.85 million children under 18.
- Military spending produces an average of 5 jobs per $1 million. The same investment in other sectors creates more employment - nearly 13 jobs in education, 9 in healthcare, and 7-8 in infrastructure and clean energy.
- From 2020 to 2024, private firms received $2.4 trillion in contracts from the Pentagon, approximately 54% of the department’s discretionary spending of $4.4 trillion.
- The expanding tools of political influence used by the arms industry include extensive lobbying, millions in campaign donations, the revolving door, funding think tanks, and involvement in government advisory committees.
- U.S.-backed Israeli military operations since Oct. 7, 2023 will lead to far higher indirect death than direct death rates.
- Over the course of the war in Afghanistan (2001-2021), 24% of U.S. women service members and 1.9% of men experienced sexual assault.
- The “Military-Industrial Complex” is enmeshed with Silicon Valley. A growing portion of Pentagon spending goes to large tech firms.
- War contributes significantly to climate change: The U.S. Defense Department is one of the world’s top greenhouse gas emitters.
- Americans are inundated with cultural products that promote militarism – many of them influenced by the Pentagon. From movies to sporting events, the entertainment we consume normalizes war, reducing reflection about U.S. policy choices and their consequences.
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In the News
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A piece in Inkstick cited Costs of War research on U.S. military aid to Israel since Oct. 7, 2023.
November 17, 2025 Common Dreams
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Costs of War research on the human costs of the post-9/11 wars was cited in Common Dreams.
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An event with Costs of War contributor David Vine was reported in the Pacific Daily News.
November 16, 2025 MENA FM
Israel seeks to make twenty-year security deal with US
MENA FM cited Costs of War research on U.S. spending in the post-10/7 wars.
November 14, 2025 The Harvard Press
Veterans Day: Remembering those who served
The Harvard Press cited Costs of War research on servicemember deaths in the post-9/11 wars.
November 14, 2025 New Arab
Israel feels 'America First' heat, floats reducing dependence on US aid
New Arab cited Costs of War research on U.S. military aid to Israel since Oct. 7, 2023.
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SOURCE:
https://costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/
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