The administrations of US Presidents Biden and Trump have authorized at least $21.7 billion in military assistance to Israel over the two years since the start of the conflict in the besieged Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023.
This information comes from a new academic study published on Tuesday, October 7, coinciding with the second anniversary of the start of the conflict, according to a report by the American news agency AP.
The study, which was conducted by researchers from the Costs of War Project at Brown University's Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, was produced in collaboration with the Washington-based Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.
The Costs of War Project, according to Brown University's data, is a team of 35 researchers, legal experts, human rights advocates, and physicians who began their work in 2011.
Key Findings and Broader Costs
While most of the report's findings rely on open-source material, it provides one of the most comprehensive accounts of US military aid to its close ally Israel, as well as an estimate of the direct American military expenditures in the Middle East.
- Total Aid to Israel: The study found that the US provided Israel with $21.7 billion in military assistance since the start of the war.
- Wider Regional Spending: A separate study from the Costs of War Project estimates that the US spent an additional roughly $10 billion on security assistance and military operations in the broader Middle East over the past two years.
- Aid Breakdown by Year: The main report indicates that the US provided $17.9 billion to Israel in the first year of the war, when Democratic President Joe Biden was in office, and $3.8 billion in the second year.
- Delivery Status: Some of this military assistance has already been delivered, with the remainder scheduled for supply in the coming years.
The reports, which are sharply critical of Israel, argue that without the US assistance, Israel would not have been able to sustain its concerted military campaign against Hamas in Gaza. They also note that tens of billions of dollars in future funding for Israel are projected under various bilateral agreements.
