U.S. has provided Israel with $21 billion in military aid since the start of the Oct. 7 war

A new academic study published on Tuesday, coinciding with the second anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023 war, found that the United States provided military assistance to Israel worth at least $21.7 billion under the administrations of former President Joe Biden and current President Donald Trump since the start of the Gaza war two years ago.

Another study, also published by the “Costs of War” project at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University, said the United States spent roughly an additional $10 billion on security assistance and operations in the broader Middle East over the past two years.

While the reports rely largely on open sources, they offer some of the most comprehensive tallies of U.S. military aid to Israel, a close Washington ally, and estimates of the cost of direct U.S. military involvement in the Middle East.

The U.S. State Department’s office did not immediately comment on the scale of military assistance supplied to Israel since October 2023, and the White House referred inquiries to the U.S. Defense Department, which supervises only part of that aid.

Within hours of the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks, Washington began sending military assistance to Israel, deploying warships and combat aircraft to the region and saying it was prepared to provide Israel with whatever it needed.

Israel requested interceptor missiles for the Iron Dome and munitions, and then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington would give “its full support” to Israel, with guided rocket launch platforms and F-35 fighter jets among the equipment sent.

On Oct. 12, the Biden administration began assembling roughly $2 billion in additional assistance to support Israel.

By Oct. 17, five shipments of U.S. weapons and equipment had reached Israel.

In November, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a Republican plan that allocated $14.5 billion in military aid to Israel.

By December 2023, Washington had supplied Israel with 15,000 bombs and 57,000 155mm artillery shells, most transported on C-17 military cargo aircraft. The United States also sent more than 5,000 unguided MK-82 bombs, over 5,400 MK-84 bombs, and about 1,000 GBU-39 small-diameter bombs.

On Dec. 8, President Biden used emergency authorities to bypass congressional review and approve the sale of about 14,000 tank rounds worth $106.5 million for immediate delivery to Israel.

On Dec. 29, the U.S. government again used emergency authorities to sell Israel artillery shells and related munitions worth $147.5 million to replenish Israeli weapons stockpiles.