Biden administration approves $106.5M arms sale to Israel

By Zehra Nur Duz

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.

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.