Since the onset of Israel’s war on Gaza on 7 October last year, the US has sent an unprecedented $17.9 billion in military aid to Israel, according to a report from Brown University’s Costs of War project. The report, released on the anniversary of the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel, outlines that this figure includes $4 billion allocated specifically for replenishing Israel’s Iron Dome and David’s Sling missile defence systems, as well as funding for weapons and jet fuel.

In addition to the support for Israel, the report details that $4.86 billion was directed towards US military operations in the Middle East during the same period. This includes expenses linked to the US military’s efforts to counter Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, actions that the Yemen-based group claims are in solidarity with the people of Gaza.

The report’s findings were compiled by Linda J. Bilmes, a professor at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, alongside researchers William D. Hartung and Stephen Semler, who have analysed the financial costs of US wars since the 11 September attacks.