The US State Department has approved the sale of bombs and Hellfire missiles worth a total of $7.4 billion to Israel, further fuelling its military campaign in Gaza, where American-supplied weapons have played a central role in the devastating assault.

On Friday, the State Department informed Congress of the decision, which includes $6.75 billion in bombs, guidance kits, and detonators, alongside $660 million worth of Hellfire missiles for the occupying regime.

“The United States is committed to Israel’s security, and it is vital to US national interests to assist Israel,” stated the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA). This latest arms package follows a series of measures by the Biden administration to replenish Israel’s arsenal. Previous decisions included lifting restrictions on the transfer of 900kg bombs, a move made shortly after President Biden took office.

The approved deal consists of two separate contracts. The first, valued at $6.75 billion, includes 166 small-diameter bombs, 2,800 226kg bombs, thousands of guidance kits, detonators, and other bomb-related components, with deliveries scheduled to begin this year. The second contract involves 3,000 Hellfire missiles and related equipment, worth an estimated $660 million.

The announcement follows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington. Since October 2023, when Israel launched its war on Gaza, the US has provided $17.9 billion in military aid to the occupying regime—six times the usual annual assistance.

In January, former US officials acknowledged that Israel could not have carried out its war crimes in Gaza without American military support. Yet, despite mounting international criticism and accusations of complicity in Gaza’s destruction, Washington continues to arm Israel. Over the past 15 months, more than 47,000 people have been killed and 110,000 wounded in Gaza, the vast majority being women and children. The entire population of 2.3 million has been displaced, and much of the besieged territory lies in ruins.

On 19 January, after failing to achieve its declared objectives—including the elimination of the Palestinian resistance and the release of captives—Israel was forced into a ceasefire agreement.