The Trump administration is preparing a $2.8 billion arms sale to Israel containing 40,000 powerful 2,000lb bombs, according to US officials, as Washington moves to expand military support for its Middle East ally.
The deal is not yet final. It has been informally presented to the congressional committees that examine major US weapons sales, meaning the package must still move through the American arms-transfer process before it can be treated as a completed sale.
The proposed package includes 20,000 MK-84 bombs and 20,000 BLU-117 bombs, each weighing about 2,000lb, or roughly 907kg. The weapons are among the heaviest conventional bombs used by the US military and can cause extensive damage over a wide area.
The plan was first reported by The Washington Post and has since been confirmed by Reuters and the Associated Press.
Why the proposed Israel arms sale matters
The size and type of weapons involved are likely to keep the deal under close scrutiny because 2,000lb bombs have previously been used by Israel during military operations in Gaza.
Such weapons have different variants. Some are designed to destroy above-ground structures, while others can penetrate hardened or underground targets. Experts cited by AP have linked US-made heavy bombs to strikes targeting Hamas’s tunnel network as well as attacks in densely populated areas.
Israel says its military operations are directed at Hamas and other armed groups and argues that it is acting in self-defence following the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage.
More than 73,000 Palestinians have since been killed during Israel’s military campaign, according to Gaza health authorities. Those figures come from the territory’s health ministry and do not separately identify combatants and civilians in the overall total.
US military aid would fund most of package
Most of the proposed deal is expected to be paid for through Foreign Military Financing, according to AP.
The programme allows the US government to provide military assistance to partner countries, which can then use those funds to buy American defence equipment. In this case, much of the money would effectively come from US government funding provided to Israel for the purchase of US-made weapons.
That distinction is important because the reported $2.8 billion package is not simply a commercial purchase directly financed by Israel.
The proposal also marks a continuation of Washington’s longstanding military relationship with Israel, despite growing political disagreement in the US over the conduct of the Gaza war.
Senior Democrat raises concerns over bombs
The proposed sale is already facing objections in Congress.
Representative Gregory Meeks, the senior Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said on Wednesday that he would not support the transfer because of concerns about how the bombs could be used in populated areas of Gaza and Lebanon.
Meeks said the proposed transfer raised “grave, unresolved concerns” about the weapons’ potential use.
His opposition does not automatically block the sale. Congressional committee leaders can scrutinise proposed arms transfers and raise objections, but US law gives the executive branch significant authority over foreign weapons sales. Reuters noted that an administration can also use emergency powers in certain circumstances to speed up a transaction.
Biden previously paused 2,000lb bomb shipment
The weapons have been at the centre of US-Israel policy disputes before.
In 2024, the Biden administration paused one shipment of 2,000lb bombs amid concerns about their possible use during Israel’s planned military operation in Rafah, where large numbers of displaced Palestinians were sheltering.
Donald Trump lifted that hold after returning to the White House. His administration subsequently approved other military sales to Israel, including a series of packages worth $6.67 billion earlier in 2026.
The latest proposal therefore represents another significant step in US military support for Israel as conflict and instability continue across Gaza and the wider Middle East.
NewDailyPrime has been following the regional crisis, including the widening confrontation involving the United States and Iran. Read NewDailyPrime’s Middle East coverage
For continuing coverage, visit NewDailyPrime.
Related news
