Trump administration seeks $6B arms sale to Israel despite UN Gaza genocide report

CAIRO – 21 September 2025: The administration of US President Donald Trump is seeking congressional approval for a nearly $6 billion arms package to Israel despite a recent UN report accusing Israel of committing a genocide in Gaza.

First reported by The Wall Street Journal, the major deal includes the purchase of 30 AH-64 Apache attack helicopters worth $3.8 billion, nearly doubling Israel’s existing fleet.

The package also covers 3,250 armored infantry fighting vehicles valued at $1.9 billion.

As usual, the weapons are expected to be financed entirely through US military aid to Israel, which relies heavily on American taxpayer-funded assistance to procure much of its US-made arsenal.

Delivery of the weapons is not expected for another two to three years, a source familiar with the matter told the paper.

The US State Department is working to secure bipartisan support from senior lawmakers on the House and Senate foreign affairs committees, an initial step before the deal is presented more broadly to Congress.

The arms sale requests were first submitted to congressional leaders nearly a month ago, on September 9, ahead of the Israeli strike in Doha that killed Hamas members and angered the US Gulf ally.

The administration has continued to push for approvals even after the attack, which drew sharp criticism from European and regional partners as an assault on the sovereignty of Qatar.

The report of the fresh sales proposal also comes in the wake of a report by a United Nations commission of inquiry concluding that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza during its current war.

Since its start in October 2023, the Israeli war has killed more than 65,000 people, reduced much of Gaza to rubble, displaced the majority of its 2.2 million residents, and plunged the enclave into famine.

The United States has continued to back Tel Aviv’s stance internationally, despite western and global condemnation of ongoing Israeli strikes in Gaza, which have triggered a severe humanitarian catastrophe.

The United States on Thursday cast its sixth veto in the UN Security Council, rejecting a resolution that demanded an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, unrestricted humanitarian aid access, and the release of captives.