The U.S. State Department has authorized the sale of $320 million worth of equipment to Israel for kits that can transform unguided bombs into GPS-guided munitions, as per a letter obtained by The New York Times.
This new order follows a previous one valued at nearly $403 million for the same equipment.
The kits have been utilized by Israel during its bombing campaign in Gaza, resulting in the deaths of approximately 10,000 Palestinians according to the Gaza health ministry. Among those, 40% are reported to be young children and teenagers.
In addition to the guided bomb kits, Israel has also purchased more munitions from the United States. The integration of guidance systems into bombs is generally intended to minimize civilian casualties, though the destruction remains significant, especially in urban areas.
Israel’s arsenal of air munitions primarily consists of 1,000- and 2,000-pound bombs, which are amongst the largest used by any military force. An airstrike on October 31 in Gaza’s densely populated Jabaliya neighborhood involved the deployment of at least two 2,000-pound bombs, causing numerous fatalities and injuries, according to Gaza authorities and hospital officials.
Israel claims that the strike successfully targeted a senior Hamas commander responsible for planning the October 7 attacks launched from Gaza. These attacks allegedly resulted in the deaths of over 1,400 people, mostly Israeli civilians, and the abduction of more than 240 individuals. Hamas denies the presence of any of its commanders in the Jabaliya area during the October 31 strike.
Coincidentally, the State Department’s letter regarding the new bomb equipment sale was sent to congressional offices on the same day as the Jabaliya strike. The letter reveals that the defense company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, owned by Israel’s Defense Ministry, will pay $320 million for equipment and services related to “Spice Family Gliding Bomb Assemblies,” a precision bomb kit produced by Rafael. The equipment is being sold by Rafael USA, an American company based in Bethesda, MD, with ties to the Israeli enterprise.
This sale involves a foreign entity purchasing weaponry directly from an American company rather than through the U.S. government. Thus, the State Department is only required to disclose its approval through limited channels. Although the letter was filed on October 31 according to the congressional register, it is not publicly available on any congressional or State Department websites.
The letter, sent by Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs Naz Durakoglu, was addressed to House Speaker Mike Johnson, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee – all of which oversee the State Department’s approval of weapons sales.
The Israeli request for authorization to purchase the $320 million worth of bomb equipment was initially made earlier this year and had undergone an informal review process with the congressional committees. However, it had not received final approval from the State Department prior to the October 7 attacks, as revealed by Josh Paul, a former State Department official from the political-military bureau responsible for overseeing weapons sales.
According to the letter, the earlier order placed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems for the same equipment, valued at approximately $403 million, was approved by the department on February 5.
