How More Than $21 Billion in U.S. Aid Helped Israel Sustain Regional Wars
Two new reports from independent research groups reveal a startling fact: since October 2023, the United States has backed Israel with more than $21 billion in military aid and support. Without that backing—through weapons, financing, and diplomatic cover—Israel likely could not have sustained its campaigns in Gaza, launched operations on multiple frontiers, or conducted repeated airstrikes across the Middle East.
U.S. Aid: A Lifeline for War
The reports, published by the Costs of War Project in partnership with scholarly institutions, detail how U.S. resources have become indispensable to Israel’s military strategy. One argues that Israel simply would not have been able to wage its intense offensives in Gaza, bombard Yemen, or engage in confrontations with Iran without that support.
“U.S. backing is indispensable to Israel’s prosecution of wars inside Gaza and across the region,” said Omar H. Rahman, a regional affairs analyst. Indeed, the scale of violence in Gaza is staggering: since October 2023, over 67,160 people have been killed and 169,679 injured, with thousands still believed trapped under rubble.
Beyond Gaza, Israel has extended its military reach widely: targeting militant groups in Yemen, striking Iranian assets, and launching operations in Lebanon, Syria, and the occupied West Bank. The reports maintain that none of this would have been possible at scale without constant U.S. logistical, financial, and political support.
The Reports and Their Findings
One of the key analyses, “U.S. Military Aid and Arms Transfers to Israel, October 2023–September 2025,” was led by William D. Hartung of the Quincy Institute. In conjunction with a companion report by Harvard Kennedy School’s Linda J. Bilmes, the authors estimate that total U.S. military-related expenditure in support of Israel since October 7, 2023, now sits between $31.35 and $33.77 billion — when including military operations in the broader region.
These figures, the reports say, show how deeply U.S. resources enable sustained conflict. As Hartung puts it: “Given the scale of current and anticipated spending, Israel could not have done the damage in Gaza or escalated militarily across the Middle East without U.S. financing, weapons, and sustained political support.”
Notably, the reports underscore that U.S. administrations—regardless of party—have continued to commit arms deals, delivery agreements, and logistical support that extend well into future years. Israel remains among the highest single-year recipients of U.S. foreign assistance—roughly $3.3 billion annually—and, cumulatively, more than $150 billion has been committed in past decades.
Bipartisan Policy, Shifting Public Opinion
The continuity of U.S. backing reflects strong bipartisan support in Congress and among administrations. Analysts argue that this alliance has allowed Israel, despite repeated accusations of violating international law, to conduct expansive military campaigns with few political consequences at home.
But cracks in that consensus are emerging. As global observers increasingly label Israel’s Gaza campaign as genocidal, domestic opinion in the U.S. has shifted. Surveys show that 40 percent of American Jews now believe Israel is committing genocide, and over 60 percent believe it is committing war crimes in Gaza.
Critics warn that these changing perceptions may finally exert political pressure on U.S. leaders. “No Democratic candidate can ignore the fact that this administration’s policies helped enable genocide,” said Matt Duss of the Center for International Policy. He argues that many in Washington are in denial if they think this issue won’t influence future elections.
Dollars, Politics, and the Military-Industrial Complex
Beyond moral and political debates, critics also focus on the economic dimensions of this massive aid flow. “You always find billions to fund Israel’s wars, even though America’s social safety net is among the least generous in the modern world,” one analyst noted. Voters increasingly question this prioritization.
What’s more, much of the aid flows into U.S. defense contractors and arms manufacturers, fueling debates about the role of the military-industrial complex. This isn’t just about Israeli security—it’s also about the profits and politics behind how modern warfare is funded.
A Region at Risk
These reports underscore a sobering reality: the longevity and scale of Israel’s military campaigns across Gaza, Yemen, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, and beyond are not sustainable in isolation. They depend on a vast and ongoing U.S. support apparatus: weapons, diplomacy, and financial flows.
As tensions continue to escalate, this dynamic puts the region—and the world—on edge. The calculus of war has become inseparable from the calculus of global power and U.S. commitments abroad.