WASHINGTON

The Trump administration has requested congressional approval for the transfer of roughly $1 billion in bombs and other military equipment to Israel, even as Washington seeks to uphold a fragile cease-fire in Gaza, said a report Monday.

The Wall Street Journal, citing US officials familiar with the sale, reported that the proposed arms transfers include 4,700 1,000-pound bombs valued at over $700 million, along with Caterpillar-built armored bulldozers worth more than $300 million.

The report added that the request would be paid from the annual US military aid allocated to Israel, which totals $3.3 billion in foreign military financing.

Congressional approval is required for major foreign arms sales, with the State Department notifying key committees before proceeding. The House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations committees must approve such transfers before they can be finalized.

The State Department did not immediately respond to Anadolu's request for comment.

The request comes amid Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington, where he is set to meet with President Donald Trump on Tuesday to discuss the cease-fire in Gaza as well as broader regional tensions.

The new proposal came after the Biden administration, in the final days of its term, "informally" notified Congress of an $8 billion proposed arms deal with Israel, including munitions for fighter jets and artillery shells.

The US faces criticism for providing military aid to Israel, as more than 47,50 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in the Gaza Strip since an attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, according to Gaza's health authorities.

Nearly 1,200 people were killed in the cross-border attack led by the Palestinian group, according to Israeli figures.

Amid a cease-fire and hostage exchange deal in Gaza on Jan. 19, Israel intensified violence in the occupied West Bank, where more than 900 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers since last October, according to local authorities.

Several human rights groups, former State Department officials and Democratic lawmakers have urged the US government to halt arms transfers to Israel, citing violations of US laws, including the Leahy Law, as well as international laws and human rights. Israel denies these allegations.

The Leahy Law, named after former Sen. Patrick Leahy, requires the US to withhold military assistance from foreign military or law enforcement units if there is credible evidence of human rights violations.

US-made weapons have been documented in several Israeli strikes on Gaza that resulted in civilian casualties, although American authorities have declined to confirm the fact.

A State Department report in May said it is “reasonable to assess” that Israel used US-made weapons in ways that are inconsistent with international humanitarian law. The report stopped short of reaching a definitive conclusion, saying it does not have "complete information."