Israeli Arms Exports Hit $14.8 Billion in 2024, With Arab States Taking 12 Percent

Israeli arms exports totaled $14.8 billion in 2024, according to the Israeli Ministry of Defence, a 13 percent increase over 2023, when exports stood at $13.1 billion. Report 1, published by Middle East Eye, gives these figures. Report 2, from Al Jazeera, instead cites the value of Israeli military industry contracts in 2024 at $14.795 billion, which it describes as the highest figure in the country’s history. The two reports measure different things, exports in one case and contracts in the other, so their totals should not be treated as the same figure.

Europe was the largest buyer. Report 1 says European states purchased nearly $8 billion in Israeli military products in 2024, up from $4.6 billion in 2023, and that Europe accounted for 54 percent of Israeli arms purchases in 2024, compared with 35 percent the year before. Report 2 gives the same 54 and 35 percent shares for Israel’s military exports. It adds that 56.8 percent of the 2024 contracts were large transactions exceeding $100 million, and that air defense systems made up 48 percent of these exports.

Report 1 says the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan together bought $1.8 billion in Israeli arms in 2024, equal to 12 percent of total exports, which is the basis of the headline. Asian nations bought $3.4 billion in 2024, down from $6.3 billion in 2023. Report 1 attributes that decline to major 2023 deals with India and Azerbaijan that were not repeated in 2024.

Report 1 also cites a UK survey in which 57 percent of respondents backed a government-imposed arms embargo on Israel and 13 percent opposed one. The report does not describe the survey’s methodology or sample in the material provided. Plain accounting of such views, reported alongside the trade figures, is a matter of honest dealing in public debate (Proverbs 18:17).

Report 2 says the 2024 Military Exports Report was presented to Defense Secretary Israel Kats in June 2025. It quotes Kats as saying that the world now recognizes Israel’s military strength. It also reports that U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance said two-thirds of Israel’s defensive capabilities were developed with American assistance and funded by U.S. taxpayers. Report 2 further states that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promoted a vision of Israel as a “Super Sparta,” emphasizing self-reliance and domestic military production.