JERUSALEM, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Israeli and U.S. officials have begun implementing a 5.2-billion-U.S. dollar emergency aid package to bolster Israel's air defense system, the Israeli Defense Ministry said Monday.

The Israeli and U.S. sides completed an exchange of letters to initiate the package, which will enhance Israel's Iron Dome anti-rocket system, David's Sling missile defense system, and the Iron Beam laser defense system, the ministry said in a statement.

The package is part of an 8.7-billion-dollar military aid Israel said in late September it had secured from the United States, in which 3.5 billion dollars have already been transferred to Israel for "urgent wartime procurement."

The United States has been supporting Israel since the beginning of the conflict with Hamas on Oct. 7 last year, sending a few hundred cargo planes and ships with weapons, bombs, and ammunition, according to official Israeli sources.

The U.S. military aid has drawn widespread criticism as ongoing Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip are claiming more and more lives. According to the latest data from the Gaza-based health authorities, the Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks in the enclave has topped 42,600. Enditem

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