US Military Support for Israel Remains Unwavering Three Years Into Gaza Genocide

Three years after the onset of Israel's genocidal war in Gaza, the United States has maintained an essentially unchanged policy of near-total, unconditional military backing for Israel, according to an Al Jazeera analysis published Wednesday. Both the Biden and Trump administrations have sustained the flow of weapons, funding, and diplomatic cover to Israel since October 7, 2023, even as the conflict has widened into a broader regional confrontation, including a US-Israeli war with Iran.

The continuity of support has persisted through moments when Washington offered only mild criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's military campaign in Gaza. It has survived repeated violations of a "ceasefire" agreement reached last year, as well as Israeli obstacles to a more durable peace in the Palestinian enclave and the wider region.

The human toll continues to mount. At least 74,243 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed at least 1,139 people. Since the October 11, 2025 ceasefire took effect, at least 1,460 Palestinians have been killed as Israel has continued to expand its area of control in Gaza, a process critics describe as the weaponization of a "yellow line" to annex Palestinian territory.

"The bottom line is that under both the Biden administration and the Trump administration, the US has continued to provide unconditional support for Israel, both in terms of finances, arms transfers and other forms, such as diplomatic support," said Josh Paul, a former Department of State official who now runs the A New Policy lobbying firm. Paul added that this calculation excludes the costs of America's regional wars, "whose causes are greatly attributable to our support for Israel and to Israel's actions."

For decades, the United States has granted Israel military support on a scale unmatched by any other country. Washington has provided nearly $300 billion in aid since Israel's creation in 1948, adjusted for inflation. This relationship has been repeatedly codified into law, most notably through a 2008 statute requiring the US government to ensure Israel maintains a so-called Qualitative Military Edge over its neighbors.

That legal commitment has left Israel's military deeply intertwined with the US government and American-made weapons. Israel relies on US equipment for its air force, several of its most devastating munitions, tanks and other military vehicles, as well as its Iron Dome, David's Sling, and Iron Beam air defense systems. Rights groups, including Amnesty International, have repeatedly linked US-made weapons to civilian killings in Gaza and the broader region, though Israel has blocked independent monitors from entering the Palestinian enclave.

"Because Gaza is a genocide, and the US has supplied so much weaponry, there's really no getting out of the fact that the US has a responsibility," William Hartung, a defense analyst who has studied US-Israel aid, told Al Jazeera.

Since October 7, 2023, the US has provided at least $25.5 billion in appropriations to Israel, drawn directly from government coffers funded by American taxpayers. The most direct form of military support comes through government appropriations, which account for $3.8 billion annually under a 10-year memorandum of understanding signed by the Obama administration in 2016.

That figure includes the $3.8 billion appropriated in fiscal years 2024, 2025, and 2026. It also encompasses a towering supplemental security package of $14.1 billion, passed by Congress and signed into law in April 2024—a massive infusion that significantly exceeded the annual baseline and underscored the depth of Washington's commitment.

The funding is predominantly composed of Foreign Military Financing, which provides funds for US-made arms transfers and related services, and to a lesser degree, offshore procurements that allow Israel to build its domestic arms industry. Other portions are specifically allocated to replenish existing weapons stocks and maintain Israel's air defense systems.

Israel also has access to a War Reserves Stockpile, a program that keeps a store of certain US weapons inside the country, allowing for swift access upon approval from Washington. This arrangement effectively positions American military assets on Israeli soil for rapid deployment, further entrenching the two countries' defense establishments.

Direct US government appropriations overlap with arms sales to Israel. Such sales must be approved by the US State Department, which in turn must notify the US Congress. They can be paid for with US military aid or from other funding sources, though Hartung said the vast majority of sales are paid for with American aid.

Deliveries can take years to complete, depending on the availability and sophistication of the equipment being purchased. This long timeline ensures that the US and Israeli militaries remain bound together long after any initial agreement, with weapons approved today potentially causing damage far into the future.

The policy continuity stands in contrast to shifting American public opinion. Recent political developments suggest growing unease within parts of the US political establishment. Just days before the anniversary, a Pelosi-backed US candidate called for a "full arms embargo" on Israel—a sign that dissent within the Democratic Party is becoming more vocal. Meanwhile, analysts have noted that Netanyahu's government has sought to control the election narrative, and the human reality of the conflict has been documented through the lenses of Palestinian journalists.

Despite these undercurrents, the institutional machinery of US military support remains largely untouched. The question of American complicity in Gaza's destruction—raised persistently by rights groups, former officials, and a growing segment of the public—has yet to translate into a substantive policy shift in Washington. Three years on, the weapons continue to flow, the appropriations continue to be approved, and the death toll continues to rise.