WASHINGTON >> The United States on Tuesday approved the sale of $20 billion worth of fighter jets and other military equipment to Israel as the country enters a 10-month war in the Gaza Strip, although the Pentagon said deliveries would not begin for several years.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has approved the sale of F-15 jets and equipment worth nearly $19 billion, as well as $774 million worth of tank shells, more than $60 million worth of explosive grenades and $583 million worth of army vehicles, the Pentagon said in a statement.

Production of Boeing’s F-15 fighter jets is expected to take several years, with deliveries beginning in 2029. According to the Pentagon, deliveries of other equipment are expected to begin in 2026.

An expert on the process said some extraditions could even take place before 2026.

“The United States is committed to Israel’s security, and it is critical to U.S. national interests to assist Israel in developing and maintaining a strong and ready self-defense capability,” the Pentagon said.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, in a post on X, thanked U.S. officials for their help in helping Israel maintain “its qualitative military edge in the region” and for their commitment to Israel’s security. The U.S., Israel’s biggest ally and arms supplier, has supplied Israel with more than 10,000 highly destructive 2,000-pound bombs and thousands of Hellfire missiles since the Gaza war began in October, U.S. officials told Reuters in June.

The war has devastated Gaza and caused many civilian casualties. In the hope of averting a larger war in the Middle East, Washington has been trying to negotiate a ceasefire with other regional mediators.

President Joe Biden presented a proposal for a three-stage ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on May 31, but efforts to implement the proposal have so far been unsuccessful.

The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict began with the attack on Israel by the Palestinian Islamic group Hamas on October 7. According to Israeli sources, Hamas killed 1,200 people and took around 250 hostages.

Israel’s subsequent assault on the Hamas-ruled enclave killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians, according to the local health ministry, displaced almost the entire population of 2.3 million, sparked a famine and led to accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which Israel denies.

Washington is facing increasing criticism at home and abroad for its military support for Israel.