How much has the United States actually spent on Israel's military since the war in Gaza began? The answer depends on what you count. Aid that has been paid, weapons that have been delivered, and arms deals that have been agreed but not yet funded are three different numbers, and news coverage often mixes them up. This guide walks through one widely cited report, from the Quincy Institute and Brown University's Costs of War project, and explains what its figures mean, what they leave out, and how the picture has moved since it was published in October 2025.
The report behind these numbers
Everything in this post comes from one report: Military Aid and Arms Transfers to Israel, October 2023 – September 2025, written by William D. Hartung, a senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. It was released on October 7, 2025, jointly with the Costs of War project at Brown University's Watson School of International and Public Affairs. A companion study by Linda J. Bilmes, Costs of United States Military Activities in the Wider Middle East Since October 7, 2023, covers US operations in the region.
The quick answer: at least $21.7 billion, with much more committed
If you only read one section, read this one. The report finds that the US provided at least $21.7 billion in military aid to Israel between October 7, 2023 and September 2025. About $17.9 billion of that came in the first year of the war and $3.8 billion in the second. On top of that, tens of billions of dollars in arms sales have been agreed for weapons that will be paid for and delivered in the coming years. A companion study by Linda Bilmes adds another $9.65 to $12.07 billion for US military operations in Yemen, Iran and the wider region, which brings the report's combined estimate to roughly $31.35 to $33.77 billion.
Where the $21.7 billion came from
The total is not one budget line. It is assembled from several channels, and the report is careful to say that it describes how and when weapons are paid for, not when they are built or arrive.
| Channel | Amount | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign Military Financing | $8.12 billion | US-made weapons and military services for Israel |
| Missile defense | $6.2 billion | Iron Dome, David's Sling, Arrow and related programs |
| Replenishing US stocks | $4.4 billion | Replacing weapons drawn from US inventories and sent to Israel |
| Offshore procurement | $1.99 billion | US funds Israel can spend on its own arms industry |
| Ammunition procurement | $0.80 billion | Producing more ammunition for supply to Israel |
| US arms production capacity | $0.20 billion | Expanding factory output |
Aid versus sales versus deliveries
This is where most of the confusion starts. Aid is money the US gives. A sale is an agreement to supply weapons, and for Israel most sales are eventually paid for with US aid, sometimes in later years. A delivery is the moment the weapons actually arrive. The $21.7 billion counts aid, not future sales.
On sales still in the pipeline, the report points to an $8 billion package announced in January 2025, at least $10.1 billion in sales notified to Congress since January 20, 2025, and a further proposed package of about $6 billion in September 2025, including 30 Apache helicopters for $3.8 billion and 3,200 infantry assault vehicles for $1.9 billion. It also cites a State Department figure of 751 active Foreign Military Sales cases with Israel worth $39.2 billion as of April 2025.
On deliveries, a Center for International Policy estimate puts the value of US weapons delivered since October 2023 at nearly $4.2 billion as of August 2025, including $2.3 billion in bombs, missiles and mines and $416 million in firearms. The report stresses that this is a floor, since it leaves out authorized-but-undelivered items, stockpile withdrawals and weapons bought from Israeli companies.
How dependent is Israel on US weapons?
According to the report, very dependent. Israel's entire fleet of combat aircraft is American-made: 75 F-15s, 196 F-16s and 39 F-35s. Its attack and transport helicopters are too, including 46 Apaches and 49 Black Hawks. The author argues that without US financing, spare parts and maintenance support, a growing share of that equipment would be out of service.
One trend runs the other way. Israel was historically allowed to spend 25% of its US aid on its own defense industry. For fiscal year 2025 that fell to $250 million, and the arrangement is scheduled to end by 2028.
How to read this report
The Hartung report is an advocacy document built on real data, not a neutral audit. The Quincy Institute, which published it with Brown University's Costs of War project, is a think tank that some pro-Israel voices accuse of being isolationist and anti-Israel. Its language is strongly critical: it calls Israel's actions criminal and cites UN experts and some Israeli human rights groups who describe the conduct of the war in Gaza as genocide. The Israeli government rejects that characterization. The spending figures are drawn from sources like the Congressional Research Service and the Defense Security Cooperation Agency and can be checked, but the conclusions drawn from them reflect the author's position. Reading it alongside the other side of the argument is worth the extra ten minutes.
The case supporters make
Supporters of the aid argue that it is not charity. Groups like JINSA say it strengthens deterrence, which they argue makes attacks on Israel and the civilian casualties that follow less likely, and that it is part of any workable path to a two-state outcome. Others point out that Israel must spend most of the aid on American-made weapons, which supports US defense manufacturing and keeps the two militaries closely linked. The debate is also no longer a simple left-versus-right split: commentators on both sides, including a 2025 Heritage Foundation report, have argued for winding the aid down.
What has changed since the report
The report covers events up to October 2025. Since then, reports in 2026 say Israel has opened talks with Washington on a new ten-year security agreement, and Prime Minister Netanyahu has said he wants Israel to taper off its reliance on US military aid over the next decade, with more emphasis on joint weapons development than on direct grants. The current agreement was signed in 2016, provides $3.8 billion a year, and runs through fiscal year 2028. Details are still being negotiated, so check recent coverage before relying on any figure from late 2025.
Common mistakes when reading these numbers
- Treating $21.7 billion as a yearly figure when it covers two years, and mostly front-loaded into the first
- Mixing up aid that has been paid, sales that have been agreed, and weapons that have been delivered
- Forgetting that the headline total leaves out tens of billions in future commitments
- Reading an advocacy report as a neutral audit, or dismissing its data because of its tone
- Using late-2025 figures as if they were current, when negotiations on the next agreement are still moving
Frequently asked questions
How much military aid has the US given Israel since October 2023?
At least $21.7 billion through September 2025, according to the Quincy Institute and Costs of War report. About $17.9 billion of that was in the first year and $3.8 billion in the second.
Is $21.7 billion the full cost to the US?
No. It excludes arms sales agreed but not yet paid for, and it excludes the cost of US operations in the region, which the companion study by Linda Bilmes puts at $9.65 to $12.07 billion.
How much has actually been delivered?
A Center for International Policy estimate puts it at nearly $4.2 billion as of August 2025, but that figure likely undercounts, since it leaves out several delivery channels.
Can Congress block arms sales to Israel?
Major sales must be notified to Congress, which can block them with a resolution of disapproval passed by two-thirds of both houses. Senator Bernie Sanders forced three such votes, and all failed, though the second drew a majority of Senate Democrats.
What happens when the current agreement expires in 2028?
A new agreement will need to be negotiated. Reports in 2026 suggest the talks may shift toward joint development and a gradual reduction in direct grants, but nothing is final.
The honest takeaway is that the headline number is only the start of the story. To understand the scale of the commitment, look at what has been paid, what has been delivered and what has been promised, and keep in mind that any figure from late 2025 may already be out of date.
Sources and further reading
- Hartung, W. D. (2025). Military Aid and Arms Transfers to Israel, October 2023 – September 2025. Costs of War, Brown University, with the Quincy Institute
- Bilmes, L. J. (2025). Costs of United States Military Activities in the Wider Middle East Since October 7, 2023. Costs of War, Brown University
- Foreign Policy (2026). Argument: Should Wind Down Military Aid to Israel
- JINSA. Don't Cut or Condition US Military Aid to Israel