US Plans $2.8 Billion Bomb Sale to Israel, Including 2,000-Pound MK-84s
The administration of United States President Donald Trump is preparing to sell a package of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel, in what reports describe as the largest single sale of the heavy munition in recent years. The package is valued at about $2.8 billion and, according to US officials cited in American media, includes 20,000 MK-84 bombs and 20,000 BLU-117 warheads, as well as 20,000 I-2000 Penetrator warheads.
The Washington Post first reported the proposed sale. Congress has been notified informally. Most of the purchase would be funded through foreign military financing, under which American taxpayer money is granted to Israel, which then buys the weapons from US manufacturers. The deal has not been finalised and would ordinarily be subject to congressional review.
The MK-84 is among the most destructive munitions in Western military arsenals. Its explosion sends large metal fragments in every direction over thousands of feet, tearing through metal and thick concrete, and often leaves large craters in the ground. Rights experts have raised concerns that the use of such bombs in densely populated areas can cause mass casualties.
Israel has used 2,000-pound bombs in Gaza and in Lebanon. The Biden administration paused the delivery of such munitions two years ago over those concerns; Trump lifted that hold after returning to office.
The proposed sale comes as Israel faces growing international isolation over the war in Gaza, which it launched in response to the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas-led militants. Israeli authorities say about 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 taken hostage in those attacks.
Gaza health authorities say more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's military campaign. A United Nations Commission of Inquiry concluded that Israel's actions in Gaza amounted to genocide, a finding Israel rejects. Israel says its military operations are acts of self-defence.
Supporters of the sale argue that Israel needs the munitions to defend itself and deter adversaries. Critics contend that the use of such heavy bombs in densely populated areas causes disproportionate harm to civilians.
This would not be the first such transfer under the current administration. Last year, the Trump administration bypassed the normal congressional review process and approved a sale of nearly $3 billion to Israel that included more than 35,500 of these bombs. In January, it approved a further series of arms sales to Israel totalling $6.67 billion.
Israel's military has released few details about the bombs and artillery it has used in Gaza. Experts who have analysed strike footage and blast fragments recovered on site believe US-made bombs have been used there, targeting a tunnel network operated by Hamas but also killing people in densely populated areas.
The heaviest fighting in Gaza has subsided since a fragile ceasefire took hold in October, though Israel has continued to carry out strikes. Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and a Middle East negotiator, met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month to push the ceasefire forward and asked Israel to reduce its attacks.
The proposed sale indicates that defence cooperation between Washington and Jerusalem remains close, even as the two leaders' personal relations have been reported to be strained at times.
