The administration of US president Joe Biden has notified Congress of a proposed $8 billion (€7.7 billion) arms sale to Israel, a US official said on Friday, with Washington maintaining support for its ally whose war in Gaza has killed tens of thousands.
The deal would need approval from the House of Representatives and Senate committees and includes munitions for fighter jets and attack helicopters as well as artillery shells, Axios reported earlier. The package also includes small-diameter bombs and warheads, according to Axios.
The state department did not respond to a request for comment.
Protesters have for months demanded an arms embargo against Israel, but US policy has largely remained unchanged. In August, the US approved the sale of $20 billion in fighter jets and other military equipment to Israel.
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The Biden administration says it is helping its ally defend against Iran-backed militant groups like Hamas in Gaza, Hizbullah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.
Facing international criticism, Washington has stood by Israel during its assault on Gaza that has displaced nearly all of Gaza's 2.3 million population, caused a hunger crisis and led to genocide accusations that Israel denies.
The Gaza ministry for health puts the death toll at more than 45,000 people, with many additional feared buried under rubble.
Diplomatic efforts have so far failed to end the 15-month-old Israeli war in Gaza that was triggered after an October 7th, 2023 attack by Palestinian Hamas militants that killed 1,200 and in which about 250 were taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.
Washington, Israel’s biggest ally and weapons supplier, has also previously vetoed UN Security Council resolutions on a ceasefire in Gaza.
Democrat Biden is due to leave office on January 20th, when Republican president-elect Donald Trump will succeed him. Both are strong backers of Israel.
It comes as Hamas said a new round of indirect talks on a Gaza ceasefire resumed in Qatar’s Doha on Friday, stressing the group’s seriousness in seeking to reach a deal as soon as possible, senior Hamas official Basem Naim said.
The new talks will focus on agreeing on a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces, he added.
Israeli strikes killed at least 42 people in Gaza, including children, overnight Thursday and into Friday, hospital and emergency response workers said.
Staff at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said that more than a dozen women and children were killed in strikes in central Gaza, including in Nuseirat, Zawaida, Maghazi and Deir al-Balah. Dozens of people were killed across the enclave the previous day.
Later Friday, officials at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said that an air strike killed three people in a car in Zawaida in central Gaza.
And the Civil Defence, first responders affiliated with the Hamas-run government, said that an air strike killed seven people, including four children and a woman, in the Shijaiyah neighbourhood outside Gaza City, and another strike killed two people at Al-Samer junction in Gaza City.
The Israeli army said in a statement that during the past day it had struck dozens of Hamas gathering points and command centres throughout Gaza.
And it warned people to leave an area of central Gaza, saying that it would attack following launches towards Israel. The military said that a few projectiles entered from central and northern Gaza, with no injuries reported.– Reuters