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Joe Biden’s administration has temporarily approved $8 billion in new weapons for Israel in a last-minute show of support for the US president’s close ally after more than a year of war in Gaza.
The State Department disclosed the sale to Congress late Friday in a so-called informal notification, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Such notification comes ahead of the public announcement of the deal, which will need approval from the Senate and the House Foreign Relations Committee before it can pass.
Axios first reported the planned sale, which includes $6.75 billion in precision-guided missiles and small bombs, $300 million in 155mm artillery shells, $600 million in Hellfire missiles and $300 million in Amraam air-to-air missiles, according to one of the people familiar with the matter.
Another person said some of the weapons would come directly from US stockpiles, but many would take a year or more to be delivered.
The Israeli offensive in Gaza has killed more than 45,000 people in the enclave, according to Palestinian health authorities. Israel launched the offensive in response to a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli officials.
Biden administration officials have vowed to continue efforts to broker a truce between Israel and Hamas in Gaza until the end of his term on January 20, but talks have been stalled for months.
The administration has repeatedly expressed concern to Israel about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, but has largely failed to follow through on threats to withhold weapons.
In November, the State Department withdrew its threat to withhold military aid even after aid shipments to Gaza fell to a record low, saying it was pleased Israel had taken steps to improve the humanitarian situation.
US officials say aid delivery has since improved but remains insufficient. Humanitarian groups have repeatedly warned that the Israeli offensive has fueled a humanitarian disaster in the enclave and called for the delivery of far greater amounts of aid.
Biden said he supported Israel’s right to defend itself and promised to supply it with weapons as part of efforts to deter Iran and its proxies.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has often accused the US of delaying arms and ammunition deliveries, which the Biden administration denies.
In November, Netanyahu said he had agreed to a truce with Hezbollah in Lebanon in part to help Israeli forces rebuild their supplies.
That month, the Biden administration informally notified Congress that it planned to give Israel 680 million dollars in precision weapons.
The announcement came after some Democrats in Congress tried and failed to block a $20 billion arms sale to Israel last summer.
In April, Congress approved $26 billion in additional war aid to Israel. This came on top of the $3.8 billion in security assistance the US gives Israel annually.
