Cost to US taxpayers of war in Gaza and beyond is $22.8bn
US spending on Israel’s war on Gaza totals at least $17.9bn and counting since October 7, 2023, according to research from the Costs of War project at Brown University’s Watson Institute.
Research found American military operations elsewhere in the region – particularly in Yemen, which the Houthis say is related to Israel’s war on Gaza – have so far cost the US government $4.9bn.
“The US Navy has significantly scaled up its defensive and offensive operations against Houthi militants in Yemen. … Hostilities have escalated to become the most sustained military campaign by US forces since the 2016-2019 air war against ISIS [ISIL] in Iraq and Syria,” the report said.
“Additionally, the analysis concludes that this Houthi-related conflict has also cost the maritime trade an additional $2.1bn, because shippers have been forced to divert vessels or pay exorbitant insurance fees. US consumers may experience paying higher prices for goods as a result.”
US issues new Hamas-related sanctions
The US Treasury Department has designated sanctions for three individuals and one charity it said are prominent international financial supporters of Hamas, as well as one Hamas-controlled financial institution in Gaza.
It also designated a longstanding Hamas supporter and nine of his businesses.
“These actors play critical roles in external fundraising for Hamas, often under the guise of charitable work, that finance the group’s terrorist activities,” the department said in a statement.
“As we mark one year since Hamas’s brutal terrorist attack, Treasury will continue relentlessly degrading the ability of Hamas and other destabilizing Iranian proxies to finance their operations and carry out additional violent acts,” said Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen.
The sanctions freeze any US assets held by the designated individuals or entities and generally bar people in the United States from doing business with them.
US says it does not want to see UN peacekeepers in Lebanon put in danger
The US does not want UN peacekeepers in Lebanon to be put in danger in any way, including being attacked by Israel, the State Department says, adding that the mission plays an important role in establishing security in the country.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller also said the US made clear to Israel that it wants to see roads to Beirut’s airport continue to be operated.
“We don’t want to see UNIFIL forces put in danger in any way. UNIFIL forces play an important role in establishing security in Lebanon,” Miller told reporters.
The mission is mandated by the UN Security Council to help the Lebanese army keep the area free of weapons and armed personnel other than those of the state. The Israeli military asked UN peacekeepers last week to prepare to relocate more than 5km (3 miles) from the border between Israel and Lebanon “as soon as possible in order to maintain your safety”.
A UN peacekeeper (UNIFIL) vehicle drives in Naqoura in southern Lebanon near the Lebanese-Israeli border
