Biden administration approves $106.5m arms sale to Israel

A view of an ammunition as Israel tightens measures by the army, police and other security forces after Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood in Sderot, Israel on October 09, 2023 [Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images]

The US administration has approved an emergency sale to Israel of nearly 14,000 rounds of tank ammunition worth $106.5 million, without a congressional review, Anadolu Agency reports.

Israel had requested to buy 13,981 tank cartridges and related equipment, US Defense Department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in statement on Saturday.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken provided detailed justification to Congress that “an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale,” the statement added.

It said that the US, which vetoed a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in Gaza on Friday, is committed to the security of Israel, and it is crucial to US national interests to support Israel to maintain a strong self-defense capability.

At least 17,700 Palestinians, most of them children and women, have been killed in Gaza due to Israeli air and ground attacks since Oct. 7.

In Israel, the official death toll stands at about 1,200.

READ: Israel has received 10,000 tons of US military equipment since start of Gaza war

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