TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - It has been two years since Israel escalated its genocidal war on Gaza. During this time, global defense companies have been quietly gaining profits from the devastation of the Palestinian enclave. Anadolu reported that the genocide turned into a business advantage for weapon manufacturing companies from all over the world; Washington, London, to Berlin.
By May 2025, Israel had dropped a total of bombs equivalent to six Hiroshima bombs or more than 100,000 tons on Gaza.
The bombing, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of lives and the destruction of much of the Gaza Strip, has become a blessing for weapon manufacturing companies.
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) noted that 66 percent of the bombardment supplies to Gaza came from weapon companies in the United States. The increased profit-making companies included RTX, Lockheed Martin, and General Dynamics. This increase occurred after the genocide escalation in October 2023.
The remaining 33 percent of Israel's armament supplies came from European countries, mainly armaments from Rheinmetall, a German company, and BAE Systems from the UK, which supplied armament components there.
Lockheed Martin
This company supplied AGM-114 Hellfire helicopter missiles, King Stallion CH-53K helicopters, F-16 and F-35 fighter jets, and Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) M270. All of these gave Lockheed Martin sales of $5.5 billion since October 2023, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Lockheed Martin experienced a 5.1 percent global profit increase in 2024 to $71 billion, although net profit decreased by 22 percent to $5.3 billion.
Boeing
Next is the US-based multinational company with Boeing F-15 fighter jets being the backbone of the Gaza bombings. The company also sent Israel the Boeing Pegasus KC-46 fuel tanker aircraft, Apache AH-64 helicopters, and small-diameter 250-pound GBU-39 bombs.
Boeing's defense manufacturing division reported 36 percent of the total sales of $23.9 billion for the company. Military orders to this company surged to $64 billion, $5 billion more than the previous year
RTX Cooperation
Another major US-owned company that played a large part in supplying armaments to Israel is RTX Cooperation, along with its subsidiaries, Raytheon and Pratt & Whitney.
They supplied cluster bombs, bunker busters, missile interceptors, and engines used in Israel's F-15 and F-16 fighter jets.
All of these provided profits of $6 billion since October 2023 and a 17 percent global sales increase in 2024 to $80.7 billion. Raytheon reported a 1.3 percent growth while Pratt & Whitney made a larger profit of 53 percent to $28 billion.
General Dynamics
This company supplied 155mm artillery shells, metal layers for MK-80 bombs, and ammunition components and systems for Israel's combat vehicles.
In 2024, the company sold military equipment worth $1.68 billion to the Middle East and Africa, a 46 percent increase from the previous year. The total amounted to $47.7 billion in 2024, a 13 percent increase from the previous year.
General Dynamics' Combat Systems division recorded sales for each tank sector, steel layers, and ammunition, with munition sales segments amounting to $9 billion and $2.9 billion, surging by 8.8 percent and 20 percent, respectively.
Rheinmetall
This German company supplied 120mm tank ammunition used for ground attacks in Gaza.
The largest weapons manufacturer in Germany earned a profit of $11.4 billion in 2024, an increase of 35 percent. The increase in the weapons and ammunition sector was 58 percent to $3.26 billion.
This profit was accompanied by additional orders of $64.5 billion last year, an increase of 45 percent compared to 2023.
British Aerospace System
The UK's largest defense contractor supplied Howitzer M109 tanks, missile launchers, and electronic components used in Israel's F-15, F-16, and F-35 fighter jets.
Global sales from BAE rose by 13 percent or $38 billion in 2024. The air segment reported a 7 percent increase to $11.4 billion, along with orders amounting to $36 billion.
Meanwhile, the platform and services division covering artillery, vehicles, and ammunition generated $5.9 billion, a 15 percent growth, along with increased orders to $19.2 billion, or 24 percent.
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