UPDATE - US approves $3 billion military sales to Israel amid ceasefire talks

ADDS MORE DETAILS FROM STATEMENT

By Rabia Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US on Friday approved potential foreign military sales to Israel worth $3 billion, according to the State Department.

The sales include munitions, guidance kits, and Caterpillar D9 bulldozers, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement.

The agency stated that Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined an "emergency exists," requiring the immediate sales to Israel, waiving the Congressional review requirement.

The largest portion of the deal—valued at $2.04 billion—includes 35,529 MK 84 or BLU-117 general-purpose bomb bodies and 4,000 I-2000 penetrator warheads.

Another $675.7 million package includes MK 83 and BLU-110 bomb bodies and JDAM kits guidance kits, with deliveries estimated to begin in 2028.

Israel will also receive D9R and D9T Caterpillar bulldozers for $295 million, with deliveries in 2027.

The Trump administration justified the sales as critical to Israel’s defense and as a deterrent to regional threat, stating they align with the US national interest to assist Israel.

The US has faced longstanding criticism for supporting Israel’s military assault on Gaza amid widespread reports of violations of international and US laws.

A State Department report in May said it is “reasonable to assess” that Israel used US-made weapons in ways that are inconsistent with international humanitarian law. The report stopped short of reaching a definitive conclusion, saying it does not have "complete information."

The latest sales come as the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement is set to expire on Saturday evening, with negotiations for the next phase underway in Cairo.

A ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement has been in place since last month, pausing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza that has killed more than 48,300 people, mostly women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.