US skips Congress review, approves sale of tank shells to Israel

The US approved on Saturday a sale of more than $100 million in tank ammunition to Israel in a move that bypasses Congress, FT reported.

The US state department said that an “emergency exists” allowing it to bypass the Congressional review on the sale.

The sale will include 14,000 tank cartridges and other items for an estimated cost of $106.5 million.

According to the US state department the ongoing situation threatens “the national security interests of the United States.”

The approval comes days after the Republicans blocked a review to provide more funding for Ukraine to fight its war against Russia.

“The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to US national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defence capability,” the state department said.

“This proposed sale is consistent with those objectives.” it added.

According to Reuters, human rights activists expressed their concern over the sale, saying it doesn’t align US efforts in pressing Israel to minimise civilian casualties.

So far, the Israeli aggression on Gaza killed more than 17,500 civilians, including women, children, elderly, medical staff, and journalists.