Washington: The Donald Trump administration has notified Congress of a proposed $6 billion weapons package for Israel, underscoring its strong backing of the US ally amid rising international criticism of the Gaza war.
According to US officials cited by the Associated Press, the package includes:
- 30 AH-64 Apache helicopters worth $3.8 billion, nearly doubling Israel’s fleet.
- 3,200 infantry assault vehicles valued at $1.9 billion.
Deliveries would take two to three years, pending Congressional approval. The State Department declined to comment.
The proposal, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, comes as Washington struggles to revive peace talks in the nearly two-year Gaza conflict. Negotiations have stalled following Israel’s recent strike on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar.
Despite growing global isolation for Israel and efforts by some Senate Democrats to halt offensive arms transfers, Trump has reversed restrictions imposed by the Biden administration, which had paused shipments of 2,000-pound bombs over civilian casualty concerns.
Since January, Trump’s administration has approved about $12 billion in military aid for Israel, including a $500 million June deal to supply bomb guidance kits for precision strikes.
The new package signals Washington’s intent to bolster Israel’s long-term military capacity even as its Gaza offensive faces widespread condemnation.
