Washington’s arms transfers under the long-standing deal have come under scrutiny during the Gaza war
Israel is seeking a major military pact with the United States as the current multibillion-dollar deal between the two countries nears its end, the Financial Times reported.
The existing 10-year memorandum of understanding, signed in 2016 and effective from 2019, provides Israel with $38 billion in military aid, including funding for missile defense systems.
West Jerusalem is seeking to expand the agreement and prioritize joint military and defense projects over $3.3 billion in annual financial aid, Gil Pinchas, a former chief financial adviser to the Israeli army and defense ministry, reportedly told the FT. Negotiations are expected to take place in the coming weeks.
The US is Israel’s largest arms supplier, accounting for more than two-thirds of arms imports. Since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, Washington has provided at least $21.7 billion in military aid, including a record $17.9 billion in the first year of the conflict, according to the Costs of War Project at Brown University.
The transfers have come under scrutiny from human rights groups and activists, prompting protests across the United States, including on college campuses and public events. Some shipments were temporarily halted under former President Joe Biden, but deliveries resumed and were accelerated after Donald Trump took office in January 2025.
Earlier this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hoped “taper” dependence on US military aid over the next decade and will not seek a full renewal of the 2016 agreement.
During an attack led by Hamas on October 7, 2023, around 1,200 Israelis were killed and 251 hostages were taken. Israel responded with a large-scale military campaign in Gaza that killed more than 71,000 Palestinians and injured over 171,000, according to local health authorities.
Although Israel and Hamas agreed to a truce brokered by Trump in October, both sides have repeatedly accused each other of violations. Trump announced that the “Board of Peace,” which is supposed to oversee funding, security and political coordination in Gaza during the transition period, has invited more than 50 countries, including Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed support for the board’s mission and offered to contribute portions of Russian sovereign wealth funds frozen by the US.
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