The Trump administration is planning to deliver 40,000 2,000lb bombs to Israel in a proposed $2.8bn arms package, according to two US officials and a person familiar with the plan. The package is not yet final, and Congress has been informally notified.
The deal would include 20,000 MK-84 bombs and 20,000 BLU-117s, with most of the cost expected to be covered through foreign military financing, under which US taxpayer funds are provided to Israel to buy US-made weapons.
What is in the proposed deal
The planned package follows several earlier US decisions to expand Israel’s military capacity. Last year, the Trump administration bypassed the normal congressional review process to approve a nearly $3bn sale that included more than 35,500 of the bombs. In January, it approved another series of arms sales to Israel totaling $6.67bn. Read the context: Military investigation announced more than two years after Gaza child’s death.
When Donald Trump returned to office in 2025, his administration lifted a hold on one shipment of MK-84 bombs that the Biden administration had imposed in 2024. During the first months of Israel’s offensive in Gaza after the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack, the Biden administration had also sent thousands of the 2,000lb bombs.
Why the weapons are controversial
The Biden administration paused delivery of the bombs two years ago because of concerns about the possibility of mass casualties in Gaza. The weapons have different variants: some are designed to penetrate deep underground targets, while others detonate above ground and cause widespread damage.
Experts who analyzed strike footage and blast fragments found at sites believe US-made bombs have been used in Gaza against a tunnel network reportedly used by Hamas, while also killing people in densely populated areas. Trevor Ball, a former US Army explosive-ordnance-disposal technician, told the Washington Post that Israeli forces use MK-84 bombs to destroy entire buildings when pursuing suspected militants.
The wider conflict
The Hamas-led attack on southern Israel in 2023 killed about 1,200 people and resulted in 251 hostages being taken. Israel’s subsequent war in Gaza has killed more than 73,264 Palestinians, including people killed during violations of a fragile ceasefire, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
The ceasefire brokered by the United States has been violated several times. The proposed sale comes as Israel faces growing international isolation over its conduct during the war, which followed the October 2023 attack. Related coverage: Proposed Iranian law would punish contact with foreign media.
What happens next
The arms package remains pending while the administration moves through the process following its informal notification to Congress.
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