January 4th 2025.
In an update from Washington, it has been revealed by U.S. officials that the State Department has informed Congress of a planned $8 billion weapons sale to Israel. This comes as the American ally continues its war against Hamas in Gaza.
Sources say that while some of the arms included in the sale may come from current U.S. stocks, the majority will take up to a year or even several years to be delivered. Two officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, shared this information on Saturday as the formal notification to Congress is still pending.
The weapons package includes various types of ammunition, such as medium-range air-to-air missiles to aid in defending against airborne threats, 155 mm projectile artillery shells for long-range targeting, Hellfire AGM-114 missiles, and 500-pound bombs. This sale adds to the already record-breaking $17.9 billion in military aid that the U.S. has provided to Israel since the start of the war, which was sparked by Hamas attacks on October 7th, 2023.
While the Biden administration has faced criticism for the mounting deaths of Palestinian civilians during the conflict, they have taken steps to address this issue. There have been protests on college campuses and attempts by some Democrats, including Senator Bernie Sanders, to block the sale of offensive weapons to Israel.
In May, the United States paused a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel due to concerns over potential civilian casualties in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. The Biden administration has also urged Israel to increase humanitarian aid to the area, although in November they decided not to limit arms transfers as previously threatened if the situation did not improve.
Despite these efforts, Israel has continued to conduct airstrikes in Gaza in recent days, resulting in dozens of casualties. This adds to the already devastating number of deaths since the war began over a year ago. The Israeli army has stated that their airstrikes have targeted Hamas gathering points and command centers, but they have also been criticized for causing destruction in heavily populated areas.
The ongoing conflict has caused widespread destruction and displaced about 90% of Gaza's population of 2.3 million, many of whom have been forced to flee multiple times. With winter now here, hundreds of thousands are living in tents near the sea.
While this informal notice to Congress is not the final notification for the sale, it does provide an opportunity for leaders of the House Foreign Affairs Committee or the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to review the package. News of this weapons sale was first reported by Axios.
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