According to AP, the US spent $22.76 billion on war and conflict resolution in the Middle East when Hamas attacked Israel last October. Of that, at least $17.9 billion was used to provide military equipment to Israel and $4.86 billion was used directly to support the US military in the Middle East.
The figures are part of a report from the Cost of War research project conducted by experts at Brown University (USA). The report was updated to September 30 and most of the figures focus on the conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
$17.9 billion is the largest amount of money Israel has received in a single year since the US began providing aid in 1948. If calculated since 1959, the total amount of aid that the US has provided to Israel is $251.2 billion. In addition, many of the modern weapons used by the Israeli army are taken from the $4.4 billion US arsenal in the country.
The US military did not disclose details of the $17.9 billion in military aid to Israel, citing confidentiality. However, experts estimate that $6.8 billion was spent on foreign military financing; $5.7 billion on missile defense; $1 billion on increased production of heavy artillery; and $4.4 billion on replenishing the arsenal in Israel.
The US government has significantly increased its military presence since the Gaza war began. The US currently has about 43,000 troops and a series of warships, fighter jets and aircraft carriers in the Middle East to protect Israel and the Red Sea - a major international trade waterway - from Houthi attacks. These actions have cost the administration of President Joe Biden $4.86 billion.
The US has been directly confronting the Houthis, an Iranian-backed militant group from Yemen in the Middle East. Since the Gaza war began, the Houthis have been harassing cargo ships passing through the Red Sea, including Israeli ships, to show their support for Hamas.
The war with the Houthis has cost the United States $2.1 billion in maritime trade. Many cargo ships have had to reschedule their trips or pay exorbitant protection fees to pass through the Red Sea. This will affect the prices of some goods in the United States.
In September alone, four US Reaper MQ-9 drones were shot down by the Houthis. These are among the most expensive weapons the US uses in the Middle East, each worth $30 million.
The report also pointed out the human losses in the war in the Gaza Strip. 186,000 Palestinians have lost their lives, of which about 42,000 were directly affected by Israeli shelling, the rest died from disease and starvation.
The war also left 90% of Gaza's population, or 1.9 million people, homeless and living in makeshift shelters.
