Trump administration plans $2.8b arms sale to Israel including powerful 2,000-pound bombs
The war in Gaza has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and devastated the territory.
The Trump administration is planning to supply Israel with powerful 2,000-pound bombs as part of a forthcoming $2.8 billion arms package, weapons that raised concerns over potential mass casualties in Gaza and led the Biden administration to suspend their delivery two years ago.
The proposed package includes 40,000 such bombs — 20,000 Mk84s and 20,000 BLU-117s — according to two US officials and a person familiar with the plan who spoke yesterday (15 September) on condition of anonymity because the package has not yet been finalised.
Congress has been informally notified about the proposed sale. Most of the package would be financed through foreign military financing, under which US taxpayer funds are provided to Israel, which then uses the money to purchase US-made weapons.
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The proposed deal is the latest in a series of measures by the Trump administration aimed at strengthening Israel's military capabilities.
The war in Gaza has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and devastated the territory. Although the United States brokered a fragile ceasefire, violence has continued.
The package, first reported by The Washington Post, comes as Israel faces growing international isolation over its war in Gaza, launched in response to the deadly 7 October 2023 attack by Hamas.
The proposed sale also indicates that strains between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have not significantly affected the close US-Israeli alliance.
Trump and Netanyahu have had an on-and-off relationship over the years. Trump had expressed some frustration with Netanyahu over the conflict with Iran before their most recent meeting at the White House in July.
The Biden administration withheld one shipment of the bombs in 2024, but Trump lifted the suspension after returning to office.
Last year, the Trump administration bypassed the usual congressional review process to approve an arms sale worth nearly $3 billion to Israel that included more than 35,500 of the bombs.
In January, the administration approved another series of arms sales to Israel worth a total of $6.67 billion.
The 2,000-pound bombs come in several variants. Some are designed to penetrate deep underground targets, while others explode above ground and can cause extensive destruction.
The Israeli military has provided few details about the types of bombs and artillery it has used in Gaza. However, experts who have examined strike footage and blast fragments recovered from attack sites believe US-made bombs have been used against a tunnel network operated by Hamas, while also causing deaths in densely populated areas.
Although the heaviest fighting in Gaza has eased since the fragile ceasefire began in October, Israel has continued conducting strikes in the territory.
Several people were killed in strikes overnight and into yesterday, despite efforts by Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and a key Middle East negotiator, to advance the ceasefire agreement.
Kushner met Netanyahu last month and urged Israel to reduce its attacks as part of efforts to move the ceasefire deal forward.
Militants have also carried out shooting attacks against Israeli troops. Israel says its strikes are carried out in response to those attacks and other violations of the ceasefire.
The Hamas-led assault on southern Israel in 2023 killed about 1,200 people and resulted in 251 others being taken hostage.
Israel's subsequent offensive in Gaza has killed more than 73,264 Palestinians, including those killed since the ceasefire began, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
