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The United States has announced an $8 billion arms sale to Israel amid the ongoing war in Gaza.

What’s the deal: In a notification to Congress, the State Department announced a proposed $8 billion arms sale to Israel, including advanced military equipment such as medium-range air-to-air missiles, 155 mm artillery shells, Hellfire AGM-114 missiles, 500-pound bombs, and precision-guided munitions. Some of the weapons will be sourced from existing US stockpiles for immediate delivery, while the majority will require new production, with delivery timelines extending over several years.

The funding for this and other recent military aid packages comes from US taxpayers through longstanding defense agreements and supplemental allocations authorized by Congress. Since Hamas’s October 2023 attacks, the US has already provided at least $17.9 billion in military aid to Israel. In addition, the US has approved other aid packages, including a $20 billion deal in August for jets, military vehicles, bombs, and missiles, as well as a $680 million package in November for small-diameter bombs and precision-guidance kits.

This all comes as the proposed $8 billion arms sale requires review and approval by Congressional committees, including the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

While Congress is expected to approve the deal, given bipartisan support for Israel, some lawmakers, particularly progressive Democrats, have voiced strong criticism. These critics argue that continued arms transfers to Israel enable military actions in Gaza that have resulted in significant civilian casualties and displacement. Efforts to block offensive weapon sales have so far failed.