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HR 3565 The Block the Bombs Act
House Resolution 3565 was introduced by Reps. Delia C. Ramirez, Sara Jacobs, Pramila Jayapal, and Mark Pocan and co-sponsored by 18 other representatives with the intention to limit certain types of weapons and services being sold or transferred to Israel. The act comes as Israel has strengthened its assault on Gaza and the West Bank, with an estimated death toll since October 7th, 2023 standing at 54 thousand Palestinian men, women, and children.
The resolution, also called the Block the Bombs Act, specifically limits the sale of bombs, ammunition (including white phosphorus), and ammunition manufacturing capability. The act includes oversight mechanisms through the requirement for 1) Congress to pass a law specifying the intention for the weapon or services being sold and 2) Israel to produce a letter to the President detailing the government’s intentions for the weapons or services. The weapons and services the act regulates are BLU-109 bunker busting bombs, MK80 series bomb variants, GBU-39 small diameter bomb variants, Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) assemblies, SPICE gliding bomb assemblies, 120mm tank ammunition, and 15mm artillery ammunition. The act does not affect Iron Dome operations.
One sponsor of the bill, Representative Delia Ramirez, said the act intends to reassert Congressional authority over weapon sales to Israel because of the Israeli government’s repeated disregard for U.S. and international human rights law. Representative Pocan said the intention of the bill was to end these violations and the conflict with them.
The act accompanies reports of starvation and indications of a risk for famine in the near future. In May 2025 the World Health Organization reported that 75 percent of Gaza’s population are experiencing “Emergency” or “Catastrophic” levels of food insecurity, the two highest levels on the IPC scale of food insecurity. The difficulty transporting aid into Gaza has exacerbated the situation, endangering over 70 thousand children. Simultaneously, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has criticized Israeli approaches to the humanitarian crisis and has accused the Israeli government of committing war crimes.
Allowing the war to continue with unchecked support from the U.S. government would undoubtedly contribute to the unfolding famine, the humanitarian crisis, and the IDF’s unlawful killing of Palestinian civilians. The Block the Bombs Act adds much-needed Congressional oversight to the weapons sale process and represents the chance for Congress, and not the President alone, to decide if Israel should be able to buy American-made bombs and services.
Additional Resources:
https://www.congress.gov/119/bills/hr3565/BILLS-119hr3565ih.pdf
HR 3565 The Block the Bombs Act