Bernie Sanders set to oppose arms sale to Israel as 'US-made bombs are devastating Gaza, and killing women and children'

• Bernie Sanders is set to introduce a resolution to block a $735 million arms sale to Israel.
• Sanders said the US needs to take a "hard look" at whether arms sales like this help foster peace.
• A similar resolution was introduced by a group of House Democrats led by AOC.

Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont is set to introduce a resolution on Thursday opposing a $735 million sale of precision-guided weapons to Israel that was approved by the Biden administration, The Washington Post reported.

"At a moment when U.S.-made bombs are devastating Gaza, and killing women and children, we cannot simply let another huge arms sale go through without even a congressional debate," Sanders said in a statement to The Post.

He added: "I believe that the United States must help lead the way to a peaceful and prosperous future for both Israelis and Palestinians. We need to take a hard look at whether the sale of these weapons is actually helping do that, or whether it is simply fueling conflict."

House Democrats, led by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, introduced a similar resolution on Wednesday. Like Sanders, the New York lawmaker cited concerns over the ongoing violence in the Middle East.

"At a time when so many, including President Biden, support a ceasefire, we should not be sending 'direct attack' weaponry to Prime Minister Netanyahu to prolong this violence," Ocasio-Cortez said.

With support for Israel generally still strong among leaders in both parties, the resolutions might struggle to garner support necessary to land on President Joe Biden's desk. If that happens and Biden vetoes the resolutions, a two-thirds majority would be required in both chambers to override the president's veto.

Resolutions opposing arms sales have been passed by congressional lawmakers, including in recent years. Then-President Donald Trump in 2019 vetoed several resolutions aimed at blocking billions of dollars in arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

But Congress has never successfully blocked a proposed arms sale via a joint resolution of disapproval, according to the Congressional Research Service. Time is also running out to formally oppose the sale. The Biden administration officially notified Congress of the deal on May 5, and a 15-day review period expires on May 20.

The recent fighting between Israel and Hamas has exposed a growing rift in the Democratic party on US-Israeli relations.

Biden has faced mounting pressure from progressive Democrats to be more critical of Israel and show more concern for Palestinian human rights. Democrats have also urged Biden to push for a cease-fire in more forceful terms.

Israel has pummeled Gaza with airstrikes over the past 11 days. As of Thursday, at least 230 Palestinians have been killed, including 65 children and 39 women, according to Gaza's health ministry, per the Associated Press. Over 1,700 people have been wounded in Gaza, and roughly 58,000 displaced. Twelve people in Israel, including two children and a soldier, have been killed by rockets fired by Hamas.

Hamas, the Palestinian militant group controlling Gaza, has fired over 4,000 rockets toward Israeli cities. Hundreds have also fallen short and the vast majority were intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome defense system.

Biden called for "significant de-escalation" in the fighting during a Wednesday phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. Subsequently, however, Netanyahu said he's "determined" to continue Israel's offensive "until its aim is met."

When asked for clarification on the "aim" of the operation, Itay Milner, a spokesperson for the Consulate General of Israel in New York, on Wednesday told Insider: "The goal is to stop the rockets from being fired now, and to irreparably harm Hamas' terrorist infrastructure for years to come."

But a cease-fire appears to be on the horizon. Hamas officials on Wednesday told CNN that a cease-fire could be "imminent, possibly within 24 hours." Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes and Hamas rocket fire continued into Thursday.