Indian Council of World Affairs

Abstract: The article delves into understanding Israel’s strategy and capabilities regarding its multifront threat. In addition, the article analysed the war-waging capabilities of Israel and Hamas in the Gaza conflict. 

Introduction

On 7 October 2023, Hamas, a Palestinian militant organisation operating in Gaza, launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing more than a thousand people, including civilians and hundreds were taken hostage. In response, Israel conducted a series of offensive operations against the perpetrators in the Gaza Strip at different locations. The conflict was one of the fiercest for both Israel and Palestine to date, in terms of casualties and destruction. Israel and Hamas agreed on two ceasefires. The first truce broke out on 21 November 2023 for a four-day period, which ended soon.[i] The second ceasefire was signed on 15 January 2025 and came into effect on 19 January 2025.[ii] However, the hostilities resumed soon after the ceasefire collapsed on 18 March 2025, and clashes between the concerned parties continued. 

Arms trade networks are often murky in nature, which, apart from government-to-government sales, makes this business belong to a grey area. For Hamas, the accessibility and timely delivery of arms and ammunition by any means have led to the continuation of the conflict over a prolonged period. Amidst a rising crisis, the central question is how Hamas is acquiring weapons and what its major deployments against the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) are. However, before looking into the capabilities of Israel and Hamas, the article will delve into Israel’s multifront conflicts and its strategies vis-à-vis these fronts. 

Israel’s Multiple Fronts and Strategies

West Asia has been a boiling cauldron of the globe for decades. Amidst a power tussle amongst various states, such as Israel and Iran, proxy militias have also made a significant impact. Proxies have been part of the Iranian foreign policy, which has been a significant challenge for Israel and its Western allies. Israel has fought on multiple fronts, including states and proxies, where they have subdued a few of these fronts to some extent, such as Egypt (since the Camp David agreement, 1978), Jordan (since the peace treaty, 1994) and Syria (since the fall of the Assad regime, 2024). However, Israel is still contending on several fronts, such as Hamas (Palestine), Hezbollah (Lebanon), Houthis (Yemen) and Iran. 

Hamas, Hezbollah and Houthis are Iran’s prominent proxies, amongst others, and are US-designated terrorist organisations. Israel’s military posture and US assistance have led Tel Aviv’s adversaries to form their militias and armed groups. To deal with them, Israel has formulated a counter-terrorism strategy that consists of three major elements: offensive operations, preventive measures and legislative measures.[iii] Offensive operations encompass military operations, air strikes and aerial bombardments on terrorist bases, within or outside its territory, based on satellite and intelligence inputs. Preventive measures involve demoralising the cadre and further recruitment to prevent terrorist attacks. It also includes choking the logistics and supply lines of these terrorist groups. Legislative measures consist of discouraging perpetrators, their support system, sympathisers and funding sources by detention and arrest.[iv]       

Amongst the active fronts, Iran, by far, is the most significant challenge or a major hurdle to its regional aspirations. Iran serves as the main source of arms and financial support to these regional proxies. Hamas, on the other hand, is geographically the nearest and most immediate challenge, which they have attempted to subdue multiple times in the last two decades. In the recent Gaza conflict, Israel has showcased its intent and military capability towards dealing with Hamas, including a signal to other fronts. In principle, to deal with Hamas, Israel’s strategies could possibly lie in

1. To dry them down financially by utilising international and domestic measures
2. To cut down the sources of arms and ammunition by strengthening the blockade on Gaza
3. To neutralise and discourage the cadre by military means

Israel’s strategy vis-à-vis Hamas overlaps with its broad strategy towards terrorism. These strategies are generally utilised against the proxy armed groups, who are masters of guerrilla and non-traditional warfare. They have strong mass support from the local population, providing food, shelter and other resources. They shape and propagate people’s voices and narratives, thereby enjoying their trust and loyalty. On the battlefield, they use non-conventional measures to demoralise their enemy’s troops, including psychological tactics. After conducting sporadic attacks, they scatter amongst the population, making it difficult to identify them. With the advancement in military technology, their war-waging capabilities have been significantly enhanced, where sometimes, non-combatants have to bear the brunt of armed conflicts. Although Israel has continued bombing Gaza (Hamas), the front seems to have almost neutralised for the time being. Arguably, Israel has partly achieved success in its strategies against Hamas, which it could apply to other fronts, especially the unlawful armed groups.

Israel’s Defence Capability and Major Deployments   

Israel has been developing and manufacturing major arms and weapon systems, with ever-growing export potential, over the past few decades. Israel’s experience in manufacturing arms while sustaining multiple wars in the region has benefited Tel Aviv in managing the recent conflict with Gaza. Since its independence, Israel has been propelled into seeking self-sufficiency in the defence sector, backed by advancement in arms technology, which has been a core aspect of Israel’s defence planning. During the Gaza conflict, Israel used the arms stocks produced by its domestic companies, in addition to major imports. Israel is the eighth largest arms exporter, sharing 3.1 per cent of global arms exports between 2020 and 2024.[v] Israel’s arms export, even amidst the Gaza crisis, reflects the capabilities of its domestic industry. This industry has concentrated on technological advancement and innovation instead of large-scale military hardware production, thereby prioritising quality over quantity.[vi] However, the US had a considerable share in developing Israel’s domestic arms industry. Israel has heavily relied on the US for arms imports and defence industry collaboration to ensure joint development and production of arms systems under license agreements. For instance, most of the in-service combat aircraft in the Israeli Air Force were transferred by the US.[vii]     

According to the Israeli Defence Ministry, it exported over $13 billion in arms and major defence systems in 2023, comprising air defence systems (36 per cent), radar and electronic warfare systems (11 per cent), fire and launching equipment (11 per cent) and drones and avionics systems (9 per cent).[viii] In September 2023, Israel agreed to a $3.5 billion contract, Israel’s largest ever defence deal, for transferring Arrow-3 missile defence systems to Germany. Arrow-3 is a long-range ballistic missile defence system, jointly developed by the US and Israel. 

During the six weeks of the conflict, the US transferred 10000 tonnes of arms and weapon systems through 244 cargo planes and 20 ships. An additional and undisclosed stock was transferred to the ammunition depots in Israel through the channel War Reserve Stock for Allies-Israel (WRSA–I). The following is a list of some primary weapons and military platforms Israel has reportedly used against Hamas. These military articles contain both domestically produced and foreign-imported arms in their inventory.

The Air Equipment

Israel used F-15 Eagles, F-16I Fighting Falcons and F-35I Adir aircraft for combat purposes.[ix] Apart from the combat aircraft, Israel used multiple aircraft for intelligence and transportation purposes, such as C-130H Hercules, C-130J Super Hercules, Sea King aircraft, Boeing 707, KC-130 Hercules tanker aircraft, KC-46 Pegasus, Gulfstream G-550 communication and electronic intelligence aircraft, Sikorsky CH-53 heavy transport helicopters, Bell 206 helicopters and T-6 Texan II training aircraft.[x]

The F-15 Eagle is an American twin-seater, twin-engine and heavyweight fighter aircraft designed for air superiority, high speed, robust design and manoeuvrability. Designed and produced by McDonnell Douglas since 1969, the aircraft is now produced by Boeing. F-16 Fighting Falcons are single-engine, multi-role and fourth-generation aircraft developed by Lockheed Martin. Israel uses the “C” and “I” models of the F-16 Falcons, known as “Barak and Sufa”, respectively.[xi] The F-16 combat aircraft has a 20 mm cannon, which can fire a wide range of rockets and bombs, such as Hydra 70 unguided rockets, AIM-7 Sparrow, AIM-9 Sidewinder and AIM-120 guided missiles. It can also accommodate the entire AGM series of anti-ship missiles, as well as heavy bombs, such as Cluster Bomb Units (CBU) and Guided Bomb Units (GBU). CBU series bombs are cluster bombs that release multiple munitions, whereas GBU series have bunker-buster bombs, used to destroy deep underground facilities, such as tunnels, bunkers and ammunition depots.   

Naval Equipment

Israel has acquired the majority of its ships and naval equipment from Germany, apart from the US-made Sa’ar five corvettes, which were used during the Gaza conflict. Produced by the US’ Northrop Grumman Ship Systems (NGSS), the Sa’ar 5 corvette is equipped with SONAR, triple torpedoes, an electronic warfare system, two quadruple missile launchers, two automatic cannons, one helipad and one helicopter hangar. It could carry a Harpoon anti-ship missile, a 20 mm Phalanx CIWS close protection machine gun, 324 mm torpedoes, a Barak-type air-to-surface missile system, a Typhoon weapons station and a helicopter.[xii]

Israel has also deployed AH-64 Apaches, Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawks and Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawks helicopters. Israel uses the “A” and “D” models of the AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, named “Peten and Saraph”, respectively.[xiii] The helicopter has a 30 mm cannon capable of carrying AIM-92 Stinger air-to-air missiles, Hydra 70 missiles, AGM-114 Hellfire, AGM-65 Maverick and Israel’s Spike missiles. Apart from the Apache helicopters, Israel is operating 50 Sikorsky UH-60s, named “Yanshuf” in the Israeli Air Force.[xiv] The UH-60 is a twin-engine general-purpose transportation helicopter equipped with a 12.7 mm GAU-19 Gatling gun and 7.62 mm M-240 and M-134 machine guns. The plane could also carry missiles and bombs similar to those carried by the Apache helicopters. 

Ground-based Equipment

Israel has extensively deployed M-113 Armoured Personnel Carriers and M-109 Howitzers for its ground-based operations.[xv] M109 is a self-propelled artillery howitzer gun capable of firing 155 mm M-825 and M-825AI ammunition. Israel has been using two models of M-109 howitzer, M-109A5 and M-109A2, which were used extensively in the Gaza conflict.[xvi]

Apart from that, Israel has a large stock of M-270 Multiple Barrel Rocket Launch Systems (MBRLS), M-114 Hellfire and AGM-65 Maverick missiles and rocket systems.[xvii] M-270 is a GPS-guided rocket launch system capable of carrying warheads of 90 kg at a range of 15-70 kilometres. AGM-114 is a laser- and radar-guided air-to-surface missile, used against armoured and high-value assets and targets. Weighing around 45-50 kilograms, the missile could be launched from aircraft, helicopters and unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) and can hit the targets 1.3 times faster than the speed of sound. AGM-65 is used against large-scale tactical targets, such as armoured vehicles, communication and supply lines, military convoys, ships, air defence systems, military installations and storage facilities.         

Arms and Assistance to Israel

Apart from the domestic production, Israel has been a significant arms buyer, currently positioned amongst the top 20 global arms importers. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) 2024 reports, the US shares 66 per cent of Israel’s overall arms imports, followed by Germany and Italy between 2020 and 2024.

The United States

The US has been a constant source of support for Israel since its independence. It is the largest arms exporter to Israel and a significant partner in developing Israel’s arms industry through US-Israel defence industry collaboration programmes. The thousands of tonnes of weapons and military equipment transferred to the Israeli defence forces contain armoured vehicles, munitions, ammunition, individual protective equipment, medical supplies and other military equipment.[xviii]

Since 2008, the US has been assuring Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge over its opponents to neutralise regional security threats. Also enshrined in US law, the Qualitative Military Edge is described as:

“the ability to counter and defeat any credible conventional military threat from any individual state or possible coalition of states or from non-state actors, while sustaining minimal damages and casualties, through the use of superior military means, possessed in sufficient quantity, including weapons, command, control, communication, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities that in their technical characteristics are superior in capability to those of such other individual or possible coalition of states or non-state actors”.[xix] 

The thrust of the US support for Israel could be understood from the fact that, despite a significant chunk of US arms going to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE, the law requires that the US arms transfers to West Asia (other than Israel) should not compromise Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge.

According to a report named “Costs of War”, released by Brown University, the US has partially invested $17.9 billion in arming and assisting Israel’s military operation. An additional $5 billion has been invested by Washington in toning the US’ military operations in the West Asian region.[xx] The US has used a variety of channels to fund and arm Israel, such as Foreign Military Financing (FMF), Foreign Military Sales (FMS), Direct Commercial Sales (DCS), Excess Defence Articles (EDA) and WRSA-I. According to some US-based media outlets, the US and Israel have signed 100 separate arms contracts under various channels between October 2023 and March 2024.[xxi] However, the US government has provided partial information regarding quantities and types of weapon systems by putting the overall costs under the dollar threshold that would have required the US government to notify Congress.     

In 2016, the US approved providing $3.8 billion annually to Israel between 2019 and 2028 as part of the military aid under a 10-year agreement.[xxii] The agreement includes $500 million in annual assistance to strengthen Israel’s air defence systems to thwart missile attacks. The programme was intended to fund the joint development and production of Israel’s third-tiered air defence systems, such as David Sling, Iron Dome and Arrow missile systems.[xxiii] After the Hamas attack, the US expedited the delivery of arms and equipment contracted earlier, along with the additional emergency aid. Under the previous contracts and fresh military assistance, the US transferred 1000 GBU-39 glide aircraft bombs, small diameter bombs, Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guidance kits, artillery shells, armoured vehicles and missiles for Israel’s Iron Dome systems. In June and August 2024, the US approved the transfer of additional F-35[xxiv] and F-15 combat aircraft to Israel, respectively. In July 2024, the US resumed the supply of 500-pound heavy bombs, which had previously been under consideration by the US Congress.[xxv]      

After the Hamas attack on Israel, the US approved two urgent arms sales, which include a $106 million contract for 14,000 rounds of tank ammunition and a $147 million contract for 155 mm artillery shells.[xxvi] The US has also established large military depots in Israel under the WRSA-I set up in 1984 to pre-position weapons supplies to Israeli military forces to meet the urgent requirements. Due to the frequent regional conflicts between Israel and its neighbouring countries, the depots were established to provide Israel with quick access to the US’ large military stocks in case of emergency. The decision to form such arrangements in Israel signifies the US’ and Israel’s readiness and preemptive action against sudden armed conflicts, which could disrupt communication, logistics and supply lines. During the Gaza conflict, stockpiled arms from the depots were supplied to the Israeli defence forces.      

Fig 1. Specifications of Some Major Arms Delivered by the US between 2023 and 2024

Source: Author’s own, SIPRI

Note: The list includes major arms delivered between 2023 and 2024.

Germany

Germany has been the second-largest arms partner for Israel, accounting for 33 per cent of Israel’s overall arms imports between 2020 and 2024, an increase from 30 per cent during 2019 and 2023.[xxvii] These arms were mainly for Israel’s naval forces, where 81 per cent of the supplies were naval frigates and an additional 10 per cent were torpedoes. In 2023, Germany’s arms exports to Israel increased by 10-fold compared to 2022, reaching $363 million, where the majority of exports were licensed after the Hamas attack on 07 October.[xxviii] Germany’s arms sales comprised $306.5 million for military equipment and $20.1 million for “War Weapons.” The War Weapons are the designated German military export items defined by the German government under the Kriegswaffenliste (war weapon lists).[xxix] Under the War Weapons category, Germany approved the sale of 3000 portable anti-tank weapons and 50,000 rounds of ammunition for Israel’s firearms.[xxx]

Fig 2. Specifications of Major Arms Delivered by Germany between 2023 and 2024

Source: Author's own, SIPRI

Note: The list includes major arms delivered between 2023 and 2024.

Italy

After the US and Germany, Italy has been the third-largest arms supplier to Israel, contributing 1.0 per cent of Israel’s arms imports between 2020 and 2024.[xxxi] According to SIPRI, 59 per cent of Italy's arms exports to Israel comprised combat helicopters, and the remaining 41 per cent consisted of naval artillery systems to be equipped on the frigates acquired from Germany.[xxxii] Apart from Israel, Italy is also a partner in the US’ F-35 program, which manufactures the components and parts of the F-35 combat aircraft. In 2022, Israel’s arms imports from Italy stood at $18.8 million, according to a UK-based Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT). In 2023, arms and ammunition sales to Israel dropped yet remained at $14 million, including $2.30 million between October and December 2023.[xxxiii] In December alone, Italy transferred $1.5 million in arms despite its authorisation to block weapons and equipment transferred to a country involved in a regional conflict. In 2015, Italy and Israel contracted for 04 Super Rapid 76 mm naval guns for the MEKO PC-IN frigate, two of which were delivered during 2023-2024.[xxxiv]

Hamas and Its Capabilities

Hamas was founded in Gaza in 1987 as a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. Hamas has been an ideal proxy for Iran, owing to its geographical proximity to Israel. According to the US State Department report in 2020, Iran provides $100 million annually to the unlawful Palestinian armed groups,[xxxv] including Hamas and Palestine Islamic Jihad, where almost $80 million annually goes to Hamas. Israel alleges that most of these funds are used in terror operations and attacks against Israel.[xxxvi] According to The Washington Post, Ismail Haniyeh, a leader of Hamas, also acknowledged in an interview about receiving military assistance from Iran worth $70 million.[xxxvii] In 1995, the US government imposed sanctions on Hamas and later designated it as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation in 1997.[xxxviii]

Besides monetary assistance, Iran provides small arms, rockets, mortars, anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles and ammunition to Hamas for conducting attacks on Israel. Although most of the weapons in Hamas’ inventory are of Iranian origin, a significant stock of sophisticated rifles and rocket-propelled grenades originates from the US, Russia, China, North Korea and Belgium. To stop the supply of arms and other materials, which could be used as an intermediary item to manufacture weapons, Israel strengthened the blockade on Gaza in 2007. As part of the blockade, Israel stopped the supply of computers and electronic items, construction materials, fertilisers and powdered sugar to Gaza, which could potentially be utilised as intermediary products for manufacturing explosives.

However, the blockade has only been limited in its success from the Israeli point of view. Hamas has continued to obtain major arms and weapons systems, mainly rockets and missiles, possibly in three ways: through smuggling and illegal means and remnants of explosives and establishing local manufacturing stations.

Smuggling and Arms Trafficking

Several reports suggest that, during the Israeli blockade of Gaza, arms were delivered to the region through the extensive underground tunnel along the Gaza-Egypt border.[xxxix] These tunnels are constructed across the Sinai Peninsula, a large desert area located between Egypt, Israel and the Gaza Strip. An Egyptian government spokesperson reported that their military has closed these tunnels from their side of the border. 

Another significant issue is the security of arms storage and depots, which are vulnerable to being snatched and stolen. Thousands of guns, grenades and ammunition had been stolen from the ill-guarded military base and storage facility in Israel and were transferred to the West Bank and Gaza through underground tunnels. These looted arms are a major source of modern and sophisticated weaponry for Hamas fighters.    

Unexploded Ordnance or Remnants of War

Months after the Hamas attack, Israeli intelligence and military officials acknowledged that the arms and ammunition used by the Israeli forces for blockading Gaza are now being used against them by Hamas. Michael Cardash, an Israeli police consultant and a former deputy head of the Israeli National Police Bomb Disposal Division, said that “Unexploded ordnance is the major source of explosives for Hamas.”[xl] He also asserted that, “Hamas is cutting open bombs from Israel, artillery bombs from Israel, and a lot of them are being used, of course, and repurposed for their explosive and rockets”.[xli]

These unexploded munitions remain active for years and could be reused. These heavy munitions have a detonation failure rate of roughly 10 per cent, which could be as high as 15 per cent in the case of Israel, owing to the old stocks of explosives. A 750-pound munition, which failed to detonate, could produce hundreds of missiles and rockets.[xlii] From every rocket, missile, and bomb left undetonated in conflict, materials, such as pipes, wires, concrete and electronic parts, could be used to manufacture arms. Charles Birch, the head of the UN Mine Action in Gaza, said that “hand grenades, artillery and other munitions comprise thousands of unexploded ordnances that will be left in the war, are a free gift to Hamas.”[xliii]

Local Manufacturing Depots

According to Israeli and Western intelligence, Hamas are able to collect remnants of war and build rockets, anti-tank weapons and other explosives from thousands of undetonated munitions that Israel earlier used. The Qasam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, established its engineering team with Iranian assistance after the Israel-Gaza conflict in 2014, to safely collect the unexploded artillery rounds, rockets, bombs and missiles and repurpose them to use against Israeli forces.

Israel has alleged that Hamas is also producing copycat arms and weapon systems, such as rifles, mortars, rockets and ammunition, at the local factory built under tunnels. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards have allegedly provided training to the Gaza-based engineers to imitate weapon systems, design and production of weapons and their operation. In 2019, the Qasam Brigade found hundreds of live munitions in two British naval vessels sunk during World War I on the coast of Gaza, which it converted into thousands of rockets.[xliv]      

Conclusion

Since its independence, Israel has been fighting on several fronts through its military might and diplomatic efforts, assisted by the US. However, its recent conflict with Hamas has been devastating for both parties, causing thousands of casualties, including non-combatants. So, what was different this time was Hamas’s war-waging capability in terms of impact and longevity. Hamas managed to launch a deadly strike on Israel, which it has acquired from various sources over the years. Hamas’ capability is difficult to imagine without Iran’s assistance.

Another critical factor is the support of the US for Israel’s policy and interests in the region. The US government has invested massively in strengthening Israel’s armoury and combat capabilities, and consequently, the US arms industry has boomed since the outbreak of the Gaza War. Arms have been a cornerstone of the US foreign policy for decades; however, Israel has special importance in the US’ interests in the region. Consequently, the US has been directly involved in the West Asian power politics via Israel.

The Gaza conflict, followed by the confrontation between Israel and Iran, suggests that the region will remain a major hotspot for regional and global power balance. Meanwhile, US arms manufacturing companies will continue to play a crucial role in shaping the course of regional order by transferring arms and earning millions in profit. Israel’s experience in handling multifront conflicts, including the proxies and terrorist organisations, could be a lesson for many other countries regarding the management of conflicts.    

*****

*Mukesh Kumar, Research Associate, Indian Council of World Affairs, New Delhi.
Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal.

Endnotes

[i] Staff, Al Jazeera. “Timeline: The Path to the Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Deal in Gaza.” Al Jazeera. Accessed June 26, 2025. https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2025/1/19/timeline-the-path-to-the-israel-hamas-ceasefire-deal-in-gaza.

[ii] “Hamas Official Says Gaza Mediators Intensifying Ceasefire Efforts,” June 26, 2025. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clylzlv91pro.

[iii] “Countering Terror: An Israeli Paradigm | IPCS.” Accessed June 25, 2025. https://www.ipcs.org/comm_select.php?articleNo=2766.

[iv] Kfir, Issac. “Israel’s Approach to Counterterrorism.” Australian Stretegic Policy Institute. The Strategist, September 27, 2018. https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/the-israeli-approach-to-counterterrorism/.

[v] George, Mathew, Katarina Djokic, Zain Hussain, Pieter D. Wezeman, and Siemon T. Wezeman. “Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024.” SIPRI Fact Sheet. SIPRI, March 2025. https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2025-03/fs_2503_at_2024_0.pdf.

[vi] “Gaza War: Where Does Israel Get Its Weapons?” April 5, 2024. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68737412.

[vii] “How Top Arms Exporters Have Responded to the War in Gaza | SIPRI,” October 3, 2024. https://www.sipri.org/commentary/topical-backgrounder/2024/how-top-arms-exporters-have-responded-war-gaza.

[viii] “Gaza War: Where Does Israel Get Its Weapons?” April 5, 2024. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68737412.

[ix] Frias, Lauren. “The 3 US-Made Fighter Jets Israel Is Using in Its Air War over Gaza.” Business Insider. Accessed June 26, 2025. https://www.businessinsider.com/us-fighter-jets-israel-air-war-gaza-2024-1.

[x] “Which US-Made Weaponry Does Israel, Which Stands Accused of Genocide, Use in Gaza?” Accessed June 27, 2025. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/which-us-made-weaponry-does-israel-which-stands-accused-of-genocide-use-in-gaza/3241486.

[xi] Carlin, Maya. “Israel’s F-16I ‘Sufa’ Fighter: The Best F-16 in the World?” The National Interest, March 4, 2025. https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/israels-f-16i-sufa-fighter-the-best-f-16-in-the-world/.

[xii] Bhat, Sadiq. “Israel Is Using These US-Made Weapons in Its Genocidal War on Gaza.” Israel’s deployment of US-made weapons in Gaza sparks genocide allegations. Accessed June 27, 2025. https://www.trtworld.com/middle-east/israel-is-using-these-us-made-weapons-in-its-genocidal-war-on-gaza-18170208.

[xiii] Ibid.

[xiv] Ibid.

[xv] “Which US-Made Weaponry Does Israel, Which Stands Accused of Genocide, Use in Gaza?” Accessed June 27, 2025. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/which-us-made-weaponry-does-israel-which-stands-accused-of-genocide-use-in-gaza/3241486.

[xvi] Ibid.

[xvii] Ibid.

[xviii] Middle East Monitor. “Israel Receives 940 US Arms Shipments since Gaza War: Defense Ministry,” May 27, 2025. https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250527-israel-receives-940-us-arms-shipments-since-gaza-war-defense-ministry/.

[xix] NAVAL VESSEL TRANSFER AUTHORITY, Pub. L. No. PUBLIC LAW 110–429, 122 STAT. 4842 (2008). https://www.congress.gov/110/plaws/publ429/PLAW-110publ429.pdf.

[xx] Linda J., Bilmes, Hartung William D., and Semler Stephen. “United States Spending on Israel’s Military Operations and Related U.S. Operations in the Region.” Costs of War. Watson Institute for International & Public Affairs, Brown University, October 7, 2024. https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/files/cow/imce/papers/2023/2024/Costs%20of%20War_US%20Support%20Since%20Oct%207%20FINAL%20v2.pdf.

[xxi] Borger, Julian. “US Uses Loophole to Keep 100 Arms Sales to Israel under the Radar amid Gaza War – Report.” The Guardian, March 6, 2024, sec. US news. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/06/israel-weapons-sales-loophole.

[xxii] Merrow, Jonathan Masters, Will. “U.S. Aid to Israel in Four Charts | Council on Foreign Relations.” Accessed June 27, 2025. https://www.cfr.org/article/us-aid-israel-four-charts.

[xxiii] “How Top Arms Exporters Have Responded to the War in Gaza | SIPRI,” October 3, 2024. https://www.sipri.org/commentary/topical-backgrounder/2024/how-top-arms-exporters-have-responded-war-gaza.

[xxiv] Martin, Lockheed. “IAF Sign Agreement for Third Squadron of F-35 Aircraft.” Accessed June 23, 2025. https://www.f35.com/f35/news-and-features/IAF-sign-agreement-for-third-squadron-f35-aircraft.html.

[xxv] “US to Resume Shipments of 500lb Bombs to Israel,” July 11, 2024. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckkg6x62z6wo.

[xxvi] “Biden Administration Approves Emergency Weapons Sale to Israel, Bypassing Congress - CBS News,” December 29, 2023. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biden-administration-emergency-weapons-sale-israel/.

[xxvii] George, Mathew, Katarina Djokic, Zain Hussain, Pieter D Wezeman, and Siemon T Wezeman. “Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024.” SIPRI Fact Sheet. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, March 2025. https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2025-03/fs_2503_at_2024_0.pdf.

[xxviii] Alkousaa, Riham, and Riham Alkousaa. “Germany Has Stopped Approving War Weapons Exports to Israel, Source Says.” Reuters, September 19, 2024, sec. World. https://www.reuters.com/world/germany-has-stopped-approving-war-weapons-exports-israel-source-says-2024-09-18/.

[xxix] “BAFA - Foreign Trade - War Weapons List [Non-Official Translation].” Accessed June 23, 2025. https://www.bafa.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/EN/Foreign_Trade/afk_war_weapons_list.html.

[xxx] Ibid.

[xxxi] George, Mathew, Katarina Djokic, Zain Hussain, Pieter D Wezeman, and Siemon T Wezeman. “Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024.” SIPRI Fact Sheet. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, March 2025. https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2025-03/fs_2503_at_2024_0.pdf.

[xxxii] “How Top Arms Exporters Have Responded to the War in Gaza | SIPRI,” October 3, 2024. https://www.sipri.org/commentary/topical-backgrounder/2024/how-top-arms-exporters-have-responded-war-gaza.

[xxxiii] Reuters. “Italy Arms Exports to Israel Continued despite Block, Minister Says,” March 15, 2024. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/italy-arms-exports-israel-continued-despite-block-minister-says-2024-03-14/.

14/#:~:text=Crosetto%20announced%20last%20year%20following,transfer%20of%20arms%20to%20Israel

[xxxiv] George, Mathew, Katarina Djokic, Zain Hussain, Pieter D Wezeman, and Siemon T Wezeman. “Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024.” SIPRI Fact Sheet. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, March 2025. https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2025-03/fs_2503_at_2024_0.pdf.

[xxxv] “Iran’s Islamist Proxies in the Middle East | Wilson Center,” September 12, 2023. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/irans-islamist-proxies.

[xxxvi] Israel Defences Forces. “Iran’s Proxies: Entrenching the Middle East.” IDF, November 23, 2020. https://www.idf.il/en/mini-sites/iran/iran-s-proxies-entrenching-the-middle-east/.

[xxxvii] https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/10/09/iran-support-hamas-training-weapons-israel

[xxxviii] “Iran’s Islamist Proxies in the Middle East | Wilson Center,” September 12, 2023. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/irans-islamist-proxies

[xxxix] Guay, Terrence. “Where Do Israel and Hamas Get Their Weapons?” The Conversation, January 23, 2024. http://theconversation.com/where-do-israel-and-hamas-get-their-weapons-220762.

[xl] Maria, Abi-Habib, and Sheera Frenkel. “Where Is Hamas Getting Its Weapons? Increasingly, From Israel.” The New York Times, January 28, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/28/world/middleeast/israel-hamas-weapons-rockets.html.

[xli] Ibid.

[xlii] ibid.

[xliii] “Millions of Dollars Needed to Make Gaza Safe from Unexploded Bombs | UN News,” April 3, 2024. https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/04/1148021.

[xliv] “Hamas Says Retrieved Shells from Sunken British Warships.” Accessed June 27, 2025. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/hamas-says-retrieved-shells-from-sunken-british-warships/1972768.