US administration announced $4 billion Military Aid to Israel

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Saturday that he had signed a declaration to expedite the delivery of approximately $4 billion in military assistance to Israel. The move is part of the Donald Trump administration’s broader effort to bolster Israel’s security, which has seen nearly $12 billion in major foreign military sales approved since January 20.

Rubio stated that he had used emergency authority to fast-track the delivery of military assistance to Israel, a key Middle East ally currently engaged in a fragile ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza. On Friday, the Pentagon disclosed that the State Department had approved a potential sale of nearly $3 billion worth of bombs, demolition kits, and other weaponry to Israel.

The administration notified Congress of these prospective weapons sales on an emergency basis, bypassing the usual practice of allowing the chairs and ranking members of the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations Committees an opportunity to review the sale.

Friday’s announcements mark the second time in recent weeks that the Trump administration has declared an emergency to expedite arms deals to Israel. In a related move, on Monday the administration rescinded a Biden-era order that required reporting potential violations of international law involving US-supplied weapons by allies, including Israel, and it also eliminated most US humanitarian foreign aid.

The January 19 ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which halted 15 months of fighting, led to the release of 33 Israeli hostages held in Gaza and around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees held by Israel. Hours after the first phase of the ceasefire was set to expire, Israel announced it would adopt a proposal by Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, for a temporary ceasefire during the Ramadan and Passover periods.

However, both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the ceasefire, casting doubt over the prospects for a second phase deal that would include additional hostage and prisoner releases and steps toward a permanent end to the conflict.