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Joe Biden's administration has temporarily approved $8bn in new weapons for Israel in a last-minute show of support for the US president's closest ally after more than a year of war in Gaza.
The state department announced the sale to Congress late Friday in what is known as an informal announcement, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Such an announcement comes before the public announcement of the deal, which will require the approval of the Senate and House Foreign Relations Committees before it can pass.
Axios first reported on the planned sale, which includes $6.75bn in precision guided missiles and small bombs, $300mn in 155mm artillery shells, $600mn in Hellfire missiles and $300mn in Amraam missiles of air to air, according to one of the people. familiar with this matter.
The second person said some of the equipment will come directly from US stocks but most will take a year or more to deliver.
Israel's attack on Gaza has killed more than 45,000 people in the enclave, according to Palestinian health authorities. Israel launched the attack in response to the October 7, 2023, attack in Israel, which killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli officials.
Biden administration officials have vowed to continue pursuing efforts to end the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza until their term expires on January 20, but talks have been stalled for months.
The administration has also expressed concern with Israel about the humanitarian situation in Gaza but has largely not followed through on threats to seize weapons.
In November the State Department backed off a threat to withhold military aid even after aid sent to Gaza fell to a record low, saying it was satisfied that Israel had taken steps to improve the humanitarian situation.
US officials say aid delivery has improved since then but remains inadequate. Aid groups have repeatedly warned that Israel's attacks have exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in the enclave, and have called for more aid to be delivered.
Biden has said he supports Israel's right to defend itself and vowed to provide it with weapons as part of efforts to deter Iran and its proxies.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has often accused the US of delaying the delivery of arms and ammunition, a charge denied by the Biden administration.
In November Netanyahu said he had agreed to an end to the war with Hezbollah in Lebanon in part to help Israeli forces replenish their stockpiles.
That month the Biden administration informally told Congress that it planned to give Israel $680 million on the right equipment.
That announcement came after some Democrats in Congress tried and failed to block a $20bn arms sale to Israel last summer.
Congress approved $26 billion in additional wartime aid to Israel in April. That came on top of the 3.8bn in security aid the US gives to Israel annually.