WASHINGTON, Feb 28 (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department

has approved the potential sale of nearly $3 billion worth of

bombs, demolition kits and other weaponry to Israel, the

Pentagon said in statements on Friday.

The prospective weapons sales were notified to Congress on

Friday afternoon on an emergency basis.

That process sidesteps a long-standing practice of

giving the chairs and ranking members of the House Foreign

Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations Committees the opportunity

to review the sale and ask for more information before making a

formal notification to Congress.

The sales included 35,529 general-purpose bomb bodies for

2,000-pound bombs and 4,000 bunker-busting 2,000-pound bombs

made by General Dynamics ( GD ). While the Pentagon said that

deliveries would begin in 2026, it also said "there is a

possibility that a portion of this procurement will come from

U.S. stock" which could mean immediate delivery for some of the

weapons.

A second package, valued at $675 million, consisted of

five thousand 1,000-pound bombs and corresponding kits to help

guide the "dumb" bombs. Delivery for this package was estimated

to be in 2028.

A third notification consisted of $295 million worth of

Caterpillar D9 bulldozers.

Friday's announcements marked the second time this month

the Trump administration has declared an emergency to quickly

approve weapons sales to Israel. The Biden administration also

utilized emergency authorities to approve the sale of arms to

Israel without congressional review.

On Monday, the Trump administration rescinded a Biden-era

order that required it to report potential violations of

international law involving U.S.-supplied weapons by allies,

including Israel. It has eliminated most U.S. humanitarian

foreign aid.

A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas last month

halted 15 months of fighting and paved the way for talks on

ending the war, while also leading to the release of 44 Israeli

hostages held in Gaza and around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and

detainees held by Israel.

However, Israel and Hamas have accused each other of

violating the ceasefire, casting doubt over the second phase of

the deal meant to include releases of additional hostages and

prisoners as well as steps toward a permanent end of the war.