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The Trump administration is seeking congressional approval to sell Israel $6.4 billion in weapons and support equipment, including Apache attack helicopters and infantry assault vehicles, people familiar with the matter speaking to Bloomberg and Reuters said on Friday.
The proposed package comes as Israel expands military operations in Gaza City and world leaders prepare to gather for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) next week, where the Security Council is scheduled to hold a high-level meeting on Gaza.
The planned sale includes:
The bipartisan leadership of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee is currently considering the proposals, according to sources who requested anonymity to discuss plans not yet made public.
The arms transfers would be financed through U.S. Foreign Military Financing (FMF), which provides grants or loans to countries for purchasing American weapons, the sources said.
Following informal congressional review, the White House can issue a formal notification to lawmakers, after which the purchaser and defense contractors can begin negotiating final terms.
The Republican President Trump's strong support for Israel's military contrasts with growing Democratic wariness about Israel's Gaza assault.
On Thursday, a group of U.S. senators introduced the first Senate resolution urging recognition of a Palestinian state, and more than half of Senate Democrats recently voted against further arms sales.
The State Department declined to comment "on potential or pending arms transfers before they are formally notified to Congress," according to a statement, adding: "Our support for Israel's security is ironclad."
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Israel has killed more than 64,000 people in Gaza, with most of them being civilians during the war, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
On Thursday, the U.S. vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza that was backed by all other members of the body.
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