TEL AVIV (Dispatches) -- The genocide of Palestinians in Gaza is the longest and most expensive military campaign in Israel’s history, costing an estimated $142 billion so far and set to approach roughly $169 billion, Haaretz reported.
Tel Aviv’s genocide has driven Israel’s debt up by some $130 billion, with the entity set to spend around $500 billion on the military over the coming decade, according to Haaretz. 
Israeli war ministry director general Amir Baram, who took office in March 2025, set out that trajectory in a strategy paper preparing the army for what he called an intense decade ahead.
The commitment was made without Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu identifying where the money would come from, Haaretz noted, with U.S. aid of $3.8 billion a year expected to shrink and then end entirely in the coming years.
Officials told Haaretz that cost was never a consideration once the wars began. Emergency call-ups went out without restraint, and reservists were held in service for extended periods when there was no need or cheaper options were available. 
Soldiers also fired ammunition freely and without restraint, often indiscriminately, as they  were encouraged by their officers to shoot unarmed civilians even if no danger was present. 
Within days of October 7, 2023, it had mobilized some 220,000, doubling in size and outstripping its own supplies. Haaretz noted one division being sent to Gaza without receiving training for entry into the besieged enclave.
“You send them into Gaza, and you don’t have suitable equipment. Everyone scrambled for tactical helmets and protective vests from whatever they could find,” a senior officer said.
Beyond the annual $3.8 billion provided under the 10-year U.S.–Israel memorandum of understanding (MoU), which is due to expire in 2028, Washington has accelerated a massive flow of military assistance and arms to Israel since October 2023. 
In 2025 and 2026 alone, the current U.S. administration notified Congress of potential arms sales worth at least $19 billion, including advanced aircraft, missiles, bombs, ammunition, helicopters, and armored vehicles. 
While some of these deals involve future contracts whose payment and delivery will take place over several years, the administration also invoked emergency authorities to bypass the standard congressional review period for nearly $4 billion in munitions and equipment. 
Taken together, the U.S. has provided at least $21.7 billion in military assistance to Israel since October 7, 2023.