WASHINGTON: The US State Department has approved the potential sale of nearly $3 billion worth of bombs, demolition kits and other weaponry to Israel, the Pentagon said in statements on Friday.

The prospective weapons sales were notified to Congress on Friday afternoon on an emergency basis. That process sidesteps a long-standing practice of giving the chairs and ranking members of the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations Committees the opportunity to review the sale and ask for more information before making a formal notification to Congress.

The sales included 35,529 general-purpose bomb bodies for 2,000-pound bombs and 4,000 bunker-busting 2,000-pound bombs made by General Dynamics. While the Pentagon said that deliveries would begin in 2026, it also said “there is a possibility that a portion of this procurement will come from

US stock“ which could mean immediate delivery for some of the weapons.

Washington provided at least $12.5bn in direct military aid to Tel Aviv since the start of Gaza conflict

A second package, valued at $675 million, consisted of five thousand 1,000-pound bombs and corresponding kits to help guide the “dumb” bombs. Delivery for this package was estimated to be in 2028. A third notification consisted of $295 million worth of Caterpillar D9 bulldozers.

Friday’s announcements marked the second time this month the Trump administration has declared an emergency to quickly approve weapons sales to Israel. The Biden administration also utilised emergency authorities to approve the sale of arms to Israel without congressional review.

On Monday, the Trump administration rescinded a Biden-era order that required it to report potential violations of international law involving US-supplied weapons by allies, including Israel. It has eliminated most US humanitarian foreign aid.

A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas last month halted 15 months of fighting and paved the way for talks on ending the conflict, while also leading to the release of 44 Israeli prisoners held in Gaza and around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees held by Israel. However, Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the ceasefire, casting doubt over the second phase of the deal meant to include release of additional prisoners from both sides, as well as steps toward a permanent end of the conflict.

Quagmire of US-Israel arms aid

Since Israel’s inception, it has received hundreds of billions of dollars in US foreign aid, a level of support that reflects many factors, including a US commitment to Israel’s security and the countries’ shared foreign policy interests in the Middle East.

Israel is a leading buyer of US weapons systems via traditional arms sales. The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) report found Israel as one of the largest cumulative recipient of US foreign aid since its founding, receiving about $310 billion in total economic and military assistance.

Nearly all US aid today goes to support Israel’s military, the most advanced in the region. The United States has provisionally agreed via a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to provide Israel with $3.8 billion per year through 2028, as per the CFR report.

The report also highlighted that Since the start of Israel’s conflict with Hamas on Oct 7, 2023, the US has enacted legislation providing at least $12.5 billion in direct military aid to Israel, which includes $3.8 billion from a bill in March 2024 and $8.7 billion from a supplemental appropriations act in April 2024.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2025