Biden Administration is going to be sending $1bn worth of arms to Israel

The Biden administration plans to send over $1 billion in weapons to Israel despite pressure over its Gaza offensive, including tank rounds, mortars, and armored vehicles, pending Congressional approval.

The Biden administration has told Congress that it will send over $1 billion worth of weapons and munitions to Israel, and at the same time, it is being pressured over Israel's ongoing military offensive in the Gaza Strip city of Rafah.

The arms package, which is made up of tank rounds, mortars, and armored tactical vehicles, was first reported by the Reuters news agency and later confirmed by a congressional aide to CBS News, a partner of the BBC.

The White House still needs the approval of lawmakers for the arms transfer, but this move comes just a week after President Biden announced that he would stop the weapons shipments to Israel if it started a major ground invasion of Rafah.

The Israeli tanks have already gone deeper into the residential areas in southeast Rafah, as the Palestinians who are quoted by Reuters reported.

Last week, Biden said that he had delayed the delivery of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel because of the fear of their possible use in a ground operation and the risk of civilian casualties in Gaza.

The $1 billion package that is going to be presented to Congress for approval would be the first arms transfer to Israel since the administration's pause last week. It seems like it has $700 million for the tank ammunition, $500 million for the tactical vehicles, and $60 million for the mortar rounds, as reported by the Associated Press.

The proposed arms transfer takes place in the background of the heightened inspection of the use of the U.S.-made weapons by Israeli forces in Gaza. A recent State Department report has discovered that some American-made weapons that were given to Israel might have been used in violation of international law, but it did not conclusively say that Israel's military campaign had violated international law.

Weapon transfers to Israel have turned into a politically sensitive issue for Biden before the 2024 presidential election, with activists pushing voters in Maryland's recent primary to register protest ballots against what they think is Biden's bias in favor of Israel over the Gaza conflict.

On the other hand, Republican lawmakers have introduced the legislation that is supposed to stop the ongoing pauses in the arms shipments to the U. S. ally, and the House of Representatives is going to vote this week on the measure that requires the prompt delivery of the military equipment.

Also Read: Biden Criticizes Netanyahu's Handling of Gaza Crisis, Stresses Innocent Lives at Stake

The current war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza has killed more than 35,170 people since it began on October 7, including 82 in the last 24 hours, as the Hamas-run health ministry in the territory has reported.