More on Israeli officials’ reaction to Trump’s announcement on US aid

Israeli Finance Ministry officials were surprised by Donald Trump’s announcement on Tuesday that the US would end its annual military aid to Israel at the close of 2026, according to reports cited by Middle East Eye. One official said the ministry knew of an intention to end the aid but had received no formal document from the prime minister’s office and had not expected the change to happen so soon. Defence ministry and military officials were also reportedly caught off guard.

Trump said Israel would continue to be able to buy American weapons after the aid ends. The announcement raises questions about the timing of the change: the current US–Israel aid agreement runs until 2028 and provides roughly $3.8bn a year. Trump said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had approached him about moving away from aid, but Netanyahu’s office had not publicly responded by Tuesday evening. The reported surprise among Israeli officials concerns the speed and communication of the announcement, even though the broader idea of ending aid was already under discussion.