Biden admin uses emergency authority to approve tank shells sale to Israel

The Biden administration has authorized the sale of almost 14,000 tank shells to Israel, bypassing congressional rules, the Pentagon reportedly announced Saturday.

The Department of Defense used an emergency declaration from the Arms Export Control Act to sell the tank rounds, worth $106.5 million, immediately to Israel as the country continues its ongoing war against the militant group Hamas, according to Reuters.

The Arms Export Control Act "authorizes the President to control the import and export of defense articles and services," according to Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute.

This sale is part of a larger package, first reported by Reuters Friday, that President Biden has asked Congress to approve. The overall deal includes 45,000 shells for Israel's Merkava tanks, which have been consistently deployed by Israel during its fight in Gaza.

The sale of the tank shells comes after the United States used its veto power to block a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. The ceasefire would have required Israel to halt its war with Hamas on Friday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the U.S. for vetoing the resolution, calling the war justified in a video statement Saturday.

More than 17,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.

The Hill has reached out to The Pentagon and the State Department to confirm the sale.