The approved sale includes 30 Apache helicopters used by the Israeli military to attack Palestinians during the Gaza massacre.
Published January 31, 2026
With a fragile ceasefire in Israel’s genocidal war in the Gaza Strip, Washington has approved a $6.67 billion arms sale from the United States to Israel.
The US State Department announced Friday that Israel has been authorized to purchase US-made weapons, including 30 Apache attack helicopters worth $3.8 billion and infantry assault vehicles worth $1.98 billion.
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Apache helicopters will be sold to Israel by Boeing and Lockheed Martin, Reuters reported. A third military contract was also signed for $740 million, with another $150 million going to small utility helicopters, Reuters reported.
The Israeli military has widely used Apache helicopters to shell Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, where at least 71,662 people have been killed in Israel’s war on the enclave since October 2023, according to Gaza health officials.
“The United States is committed to Israel’s security, and helping Israel develop and maintain a strong and responsive self-defense capability is critical to our national interests,” the State Department said in a statement Friday.
“The proposed sale is consistent with these objectives,” the ministry said.
The United States also sends billions of dollars worth of military supplies to Israel each year, and much of the weapons are sent as aid rather than sold.
Rights groups and U.N. experts have consistently called on the United States to halt arms shipments to Israel, arguing that they are fueling Israel’s ability to wage a genocidal war in Gaza.
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip has largely remained in place since it took effect on October 10, 2025, but Israeli forces continue to carry out attacks against Palestinians in the war-torn region, leaving around 500 people dead despite an agreement to cease fighting.
The State Department also announced Friday that it had approved a $9 billion sale to Saudi Arabia of 730 Patriot missiles and related equipment used to defend against oncoming attacks.
“This enhanced capability will protect ground forces of Saudi Arabia, the United States, and local allies, and will significantly enhance Saudi Arabia’s contribution to the regional integrated air and missile defense system,” the State Department said.
The sale of US missile defense equipment comes after US President Donald Trump said a large “fleet” of US warships had been redeployed near Iran in anticipation of a possible US attack on Tehran.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in a phone call with Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian earlier this week that Saudi Arabia “will not allow its airspace or territory to be used for any military action or attack by any force against Iran, regardless of its origin.”
