Biden informs US Congress of planned $8 billion arms sale to Israel: Reports | News about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The package will include precision-guided munitions, artillery shells and air-to-air missiles, according to US media reports.
Outgoing US President Joe Biden’s administration has notified Congress of a planned $8 billion arms sale to Israel, according to US media reports, as the ally continues its devastating war in Gaza.
The State Department sent the House and Senate foreign affairs committees a notice on Friday, US media reported on Saturday, citing unnamed officials.
The weapons will include 500-pound (226 kg) warheads, precision-guided munitions, artillery shells, missiles for aircraft and attack helicopters and a bomb fuze, along with air-to-air missiles to intercept the missiles, the reports said.
Some of the munitions production and delivery may be done through existing US stockpiles, but most are expected to be delivered to Israel over a longer period, according to US media.
In August, Washington approved a special package worth 20 billion dollarswhich included jets, military vehicles, bombs and missiles.
In November, the Biden administration approved another arms package worth 680 million dollars to Israel, including small diameter bombs and precision guidance kits.
After the US president briefly suspended a shipment of 2,000-pound (907 kg) bombs last year that caused widespread destruction across Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly condemned him.
Biden has repeatedly stressed his commitment to the US ally and its “self-defense” despite growing criticism over the killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
Human rights groups have accused Israel of carrying out “acts of genocide” in Gaza, and the International Court of Justice has ordered Israel to take steps to prevent genocide in the Palestinian territory.
A UN commission of inquiry has accused Israel of implementing a policy of destroying the health system in Gaza, where about 90 percent of the population has been displaced.
Israel is escalating attacks
Israel has intensified its attacks on Gaza in recent days, killing more than 100 people, according to Palestinian health authorities.
On Friday, the Israeli army ordered the forced evacuation of staff and patients from two hospitals in northern Gaza under threat of attack, days after its forces stormed Kamal Adwan Hospital and detained its director.
At least 11 people from the same family were killed on Saturday in the northern Gaza neighborhood of Shujayea.
“Around 2 in the morning [00:00 GMT] we were awakened by the sound of a large explosion,” said Ahmed Ayyan, a neighbor of the al-Ghoula family, adding that 14 or 15 people were staying in the house.
“Most of them were women and children, they were all civilians. There is no one there who fired missiles or is from the resistance movement.”
Since Israel launched its war on Gaza in October 2023, at least 45,717 people have been killed and 108,856 wounded, according to Palestinian health authorities.
The increase in Israeli attacks on Gaza in recent days comes after the Israeli government and Hamas authorized representatives to travel to Qatar for talks about a possible ceasefire and the exchange of captives and captives.
