Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free
A guide to what the 2024 US election means for Washington and the world
More than a year into the Gaza war, Joe Biden’s administration has tentatively approved $8 billion worth of new weapons to Israel in a last-minute show of support for the U.S. president’s close ally.
The State Department disclosed the sale to Congress in an informal notice late Friday, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Such notifications precede the public announcement of an agreement that requires approval by the Senate and House Foreign Relations committees.
The sales, first reported by Axios, include $6.75 billion for precision-guided missiles and small bombs, $300 million for 155mm artillery shells, $600 million for Hellfire missiles and 3 Billion dollar Amraam air-to-air missile.
Another person said some of the weapons would come directly from U.S. stockpiles, but many would take a year or more to be delivered.
According to the Palestinian health authority, Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed more than 45,000 people in the enclave. According to Israeli officials, Israel launched the offensive in response to Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people.
Biden administration officials have vowed to continue working to mediate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza until the end of their term on January 20, but negotiations have been deadlocked for months.
The U.S. government has repeatedly raised concerns with Israel about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, but has largely failed to follow through on its threats to withhold weapons.
In November, the U.S. State Department withdrew its threat to halt military aid, saying it was satisfied with the measures Israel had taken to improve the humanitarian situation, although aid to Gaza had fallen to a record low.
U.S. officials say aid delivery has improved since then but is still insufficient. Aid groups have repeatedly warned that the Israeli offensive is exacerbating the humanitarian catastrophe in the enclave and called for greater amounts of aid.
Biden said he supports Israel’s right to defend itself and vowed to provide it with weapons as part of efforts to deter Iran and its proxies.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has frequently accused the United States of delaying the delivery of weapons and ammunition, a charge the Biden administration denies.
Netanyahu said in November that he had agreed to a ceasefire with Lebanese Hezbollah, in part to help Israeli forces restock.
That month, the Biden administration informally notified Congress that it planned to provide Israel with $680 million in precision weapons.
Last summer, some Democrats in Congress tried and failed to block $20 billion worth of weapons sales to Israel.
In April, Congress approved $26 billion in additional wartime aid to Israel. In addition, the United States also provides $3.8 billion in security assistance to Israel every year.
