US sent 10,000 tonnes of military equipment to Israel since start of Gaza war

The US has supplied long-term ally Israel with 10,000 tonnes worth of arms and weaponry since 7 October when a brutal onslaught on the Gaza Strip was launched, the Israeli ministry of defense said on Wednesday.

The ministry went on to add that the 200th cargo plane carrying military equipment from the US had arrived in the country, as Israel’s onslaught in Gaza continues to wage for a third month in a row.

Washington has provided weaponry including armoured vehicles, armaments, ammunition, and medical supplies to the Israeli army.

Protective personal equipment was also provided, the ministry wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

This works out at 159 tonnes of weaponry to Israel every day of the conflict.

The 200th cargo plane carrying military equipment for the IDF has arrived in Israel. Over 10,000 tons of military equipment were delivered since the beginning of the war, including armored vehicles, armaments, personal protective equipment, medical supplies, ammunition, and more. pic.twitter.com/ZgNGSF7BA6

— Ministry of Defense (@Israel_MOD) December 6, 2023

The Ministry of Defense also posted images of the military gear, included armoured vehicles, in accompaniment with the statement.

Israel began receiving military assistance from the United States on October 11, after a plane carrying ammunition landed in the country days after the brutal war in Gaza began.

The US said it would send air defences and other security assistance, as well as extra inceptors to replenish Israel's Iron Dome, which repels incoming short-range rockets and artillery.

This comes as reports emerged revealing that the US is covertly supplying 2,000-pound "bunker buster" bombs to its ally, some of which are designed to penetrate concrete and other hard surfaces in a bid to reach underground targets, such as military bunkers, according to the Wall Street Journal.

US-made weaponry has also contributed to the killing of Palestinians in Gaza. Amnesty International said this week that US-made Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) were used in several deadly and unlawful Israeli attacks in the war-hit territory. Agnes Callamard, the NGO’s secretary-general, said the US-made weapons facilitated the mass killings of extended families.

According to Axios, the US sent over 70,000 weapons to Israel between 1950 and 2022.

Amnesty has urged Washington and other nations supplying weapons to Israel to stop, warning that they could be violating international law.

The US has voiced support for Israel since the beginning of the assault on Gaza, and has refrained from outwardly condemning its indiscriminate shelling and slaughtering of civilians. However, Washington has recently urged its ally to "limit civilian casualties". As of Thursday, at least 17,177 Gazans - mostly civilians - have been killed.