US annual military aid to Israel quadrupled since 7 October attacks

The US has spent at least $22bn dollars on military aid to Israel and the management of spillover conflicts spawned by its war on Gaza over the past year, according to a new report examining US military spending.

The US has provided Israel with $17.9bn in military aid alone since the 7 October Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel, the highest amount of military aid in the two countries' histories, adjusted for inflation.

The Biden administration pledged to support Israel unconditionally following the October 2023 attacks and has ensured a steady supply of arms despite opposition from some US officials, lawmakers and many human rights groups concerned about the devastating impact Israel's offensive has had on civilians in Gaza, and now the West Bank and Lebanon. 

The figure surpasses US military aid to its ally during the 1973 Arab-Israeli war and after the signing of a historic peace treaty between Egypt and Israel.

For comparison, the dollar figure is also roughly quadruple the amount Israel received in the 1980s during its war with the Palestinian Liberation Organisation in Lebanon, its 15-year occupation of Lebanon, and its 2006 war with Hezbollah.

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