The approved sale includes 30 Apache helicopters, which Israeli forces used to attack Palestinians amid the genocide in Gaza.
Published on January 31, 2026
Washington approved $6.67 billion in U.S. arms sales to Israel amid a fragile ceasefire in Israel’s genocidal war in the Gaza Strip.
The US State Department said on Friday that Israel had been authorized to purchase US-made weapons, including 30 Apache attack helicopters for $3.8 billion and infantry assault vehicles worth $1.98 billion.
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The Apache helicopters will be sold to Israel by Boeing and Lockheed Martin, reports the Reuters news agency. A third military contract was also awarded for $740 million, according to Reuters, and another $150 million will be spent on light utility helicopters.
Israeli forces have widely used Apache helicopters to fire on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, where at least 71,662 people have been killed. killed in Israel’s war against the enclave since October 2023, according to Gaza health officials.
“The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to its national interests to help Israel develop and maintain a strong and operational self-defense capability,” the State Department said in a statement Friday.
“This proposed sale is consistent with these objectives,” the ministry said.
The United States also sends billions of dollars in military supplies to Israel each year, weapons that are largely sent as aid rather than sales.
Human rights groups and United Nations experts have consistently called on the United States to suspend its arms deliveries to Israel, which they say have fueled Israel’s ability to wage a genocidal war in Gaza.
While the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip has been largely respected since it came into force on October 10, 2025, Israeli forces continue to launch attacks against Palestinians in the war-torn territory, killing nearly 500 people despite the agreement to end the fighting.
The State Department also announced Friday that it had approved a $9 billion sale to Saudi Arabia for 730 Patriot missiles and related equipment, used to defend against imminent attacks.
“This enhanced capability will protect the ground forces of Saudi Arabia, the United States, and their local allies and will significantly enhance Saudi Arabia’s contribution” to the integrated air and missile defense system in the region, the State Department said.
The sale of US missile defense equipment comes as US President Donald Trump said a large “armada” of US warships had been repositioned near Iran, in anticipation of a possible US attack on Tehran.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in a call to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian earlier this week that the kingdom “would not allow its airspace or territory to be used for military actions against Iran or for attacks from any party, regardless of their origin.”
