The American agency reported that these numbers are based on a report issued by the “Costs of War” project at Brown University, which was issued on the anniversary of the start of the war in Gaza, which ignited a wave of unrest in the Middle East.
According to the results of the report, US An additional $4.86 billion was spent on intensifying military operations in the region since the attack launched by Hamas on Israel On October 7, 2023. This includes the costs of the US Navy-led campaign to suppress Houthi attacks on some commercial ships crossing the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Most of the American weapons delivered to Israel over the past year were ammunition, ranging from artillery shells to 2,000-pound bunker buster bombs, in addition to precision-guided bombs, according to the AP.
Expenditures range from $4 billion to resupply the Israeli “Iron Dome” and “David’s Sling” missile defense systems, to funding for the purchase of rifles and aviation fuel, according to the report’s findings.
The agency noted that, in contrast to the publicly documented military aid provided by the United States to Ukraine, it was difficult to obtain full details about what the United States had sent to Israel since last October 7. Therefore, the $17.9 billion announced for the year is only a partial figure, according to the researchers.
The researchers also pointed to the Biden administration’s “efforts to hide the full amounts of aid and types of regulations” through bureaucratic maneuvers.
