The decision arrives as Israeli officials are reported to have acknowledged that 70,000 Palestinians were killed in Gaza during the war with Hamas
The US has given approval to more than $6.5 billion in new potential military sales to Israel amidst rising tensions with Iran, as announced by officials in Washington.
Based on two separate statements from the Pentagon and State Department on Friday, the package consists of light tactical vehicles worth $1.98 billion, AH-64E Apache helicopters costing $3.8 billion, and a separate $740 million contract for armored personnel carriers power packs. AM General, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin are among the prime contractors.
“The proposed sale will enhance Israel’s ability to meet current and future threats by improving its capacity to defend Israel’s borders,” the Pentagon stated, adding that the move “will not change the basic military balance in the region.”
The approval comes after Israeli media outlets reported on Friday that military officials generally accepted the death toll figures registered by authorities in Gaza, putting Palestinian deaths at around 70,000. After the start of the Israel-Hamas war in 2023, Israel has faced accusations of committing numerous war crimes in the Palestinian enclave and blocking humanitarian aid.
The approval of the arms sales followed escalating tensions between the US and Iran, with US President Donald Trump not excluding a military option after he promised to assist protesters in the Islamic Republic.
Trump has constantly presented himself as Israel’s most steadfast supporter, in contrast to his predecessor, Joe Biden, who criticized the Jewish State over what he called collateral civilian casualties in Gaza. In May 2024, he halted shipments of heavy bombs to Israel while admitting that US-supplied weapons had been used to kill civilians. After Trump’s return to office in March 2025, Washington revoked what it described as “baseless and politicized conditions on military assistance to Israel.”
In a separate foreign military sales decision, Washington also approved a potential $9 billion sale of 730 Patriot PAC-3 MSE interceptor missiles and related equipment to Saudi Arabia, with Lockheed Martin as the principal contractor. US officials said that the move “will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by enhancing the security of a Major non-NATO Ally.”