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The Joe Biden administration temporarily approved $8bn in new weapons for Israel in a last-minute show of support for the US president’s closest ally after more than a year of war in Gaza.
The State Department disclosed the sale to Congress late Friday in what is known as an informal announcement, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Such notification comes before the public announcement of the agreement, which will require the approval of the Senate and House Foreign Relations Committees before it can pass.
Axios first reported on the proposed sale, which includes $6.75bn in precision-guided missiles and small bombs, $300mn in 155mm artillery shells, $600mn in Hellfire missiles and $300mn in air-to-air missiles and in the spirit of Amraam, according to one of the people. know the matter.
The second person said some of the weapons will come directly from US stocks but most will take a year or more to deliver.
Israel’s attack on Gaza has killed more than 45,000 people in the enclave, according to Palestinian health authorities. Israel launched the attack in response to the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli officials.
Officials in the Biden administration have vowed to continue pushing for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza until the end of their term on January 20, but negotiations have been stalled for months.
The administration has repeatedly raised concerns with Israel about the humanitarian situation in Gaza but largely has not followed through on threats to stop arms.
In November the State Department dropped its threat to withhold military aid even after aid to Gaza dropped, saying it was satisfied that Israel had taken steps to improve the humanitarian situation.
US officials say aid has improved since then but remains insufficient. Aid groups have repeatedly warned that the Israeli attack has created a humanitarian crisis in the region, and called for more aid.
Biden has said he supports Israel’s right to defend itself and vowed to arm it as part of efforts to deter Iran and its proxies.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly accused the US of delaying the delivery of weapons and ammunition, a charge the Biden administration denies.
In November Netanyahu said he had agreed to a ceasefire with Hizbollah in Lebanon in part to help Israeli forces recover their reserves.
That month, the Biden administration informally notified Congress that it planned to give to Israel $680 million with the right weapons.
The announcement came after some Democrats in Congress tried and failed to block a $20bn arms sale to Israel last summer.
Congress approved $26bn in additional wartime aid for Israel in April. That came in addition to the $3.8bn in security aid the US gives to Israel each year.
