In a revelation marking the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks that ignited the Gaza conflict, a groundbreaking academic study exposes that the United States has funneled at least $21.7 billion in military aid to Israel under both the Biden and Trump administrations. This staggering figure, detailed in the Costs of War project from Brown University's Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, underscores the depth of American commitment to its key ally amid one of the most intense regional conflicts in decades.
The comprehensive analysis, pieced together from open-source data including congressional notifications, paints a vivid picture of escalating U.S. involvement. In the war's first year under President Joe Biden, Israel received $17.9 billion – a torrent of support that experts say was pivotal in sustaining Israel's aggressive operations against Hamas. The second year saw an additional $3.8 billion under President Donald Trump, with portions already delivered and the rest slated for future shipments. "Without this lifeline, Israel's campaign would have ground to a halt," the report starkly concludes, projecting tens of billions more in locked-in bilateral funding.
Beyond direct aid to Israel, a companion study tallies another $10 billion in U.S. security expenditures across the Middle East over the same period. This includes $9.65 billion to $12 billion for operations like airstrikes against Yemen's Houthi rebels and precision attacks on Iranian nuclear sites, with $2 billion to $2.25 billion tied to the dramatic June strikes on Iran alone. These costs reflect the ripple effects of the Gaza war, drawing the U.S. into a web of proxy battles and defensive postures.
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Released in tandem with the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft – an organization often labeled isolationist by pro-Israel critics, though it vehemently rejects such claims – the reports arrive at a pivotal moment. As Trump ramps up diplomatic pressure for a Gaza ceasefire, indirect negotiations between Israeli and Hamas representatives kicked off this week in Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh. Hamas has tentatively embraced parts of a U.S.-brokered peace blueprint, which Israel has also endorsed, hinting at fragile progress toward ending the bloodshed.
The State Department and White House demurred on immediate responses, deferring to the Pentagon, which manages only a slice of the aid pipeline. Yet the findings ignite fierce debate: Is this unprecedented largesse a bulwark against terrorism, or a blank check fueling endless war? As Gaza's humanitarian crisis deepens, these disclosures demand scrutiny of America's role – and its price tag – in the shadows of the Middle East.
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