Trump administration plans $2.8bn sale of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel

The Trump administration is preparing a $2.8bn package of 2,000-pound bombs for Israel, according to reports cited in the supplied material. The proposed sale would include 40,000 munitions and is being described as the largest single transfer of this type in recent years. The package is linked to Foreign Military Financing, the US mechanism that provides funds Israel can use to buy American weapons.

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The reported package includes 20,000 MK-84 general-purpose bombs and 20,000 BLU-117 bombs, along with I-2000 Penetrator warheads designed to strike hardened underground targets. The deal has been informally notified to congressional committees, but it has not yet reached formal notification, according to the material. A senior administration official was quoted as saying that all foreign arms sales are moving through the appropriate process.

The proposed transfer has drawn criticism because of the scale and destructive power of the munitions involved. The supplied material says the MK-84 has been used by Israeli forces hundreds of times in Gaza and Lebanon, including in areas designated safe for civilians, and that rights groups have repeatedly raised concerns about civilian harm. It also notes that the previous US administration paused one such shipment in 2024 over civilian casualty concerns before the pause was reversed after Trump returned to office.

The sale matters because it sits at the intersection of US military support for Israel, congressional oversight and the wider debate over civilian protection in conflict zones. The package would deepen an already sensitive arms relationship at a time of rising unease in Washington over unconditional military assistance. It also comes as the material says tensions are growing between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

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The munitions at the centre of the proposed sale are among the most powerful in the Western arsenal. The MK-84, also known as the "hammer", is a 907kg bomb capable of causing extensive blast and fragmentation damage, while the BLU-117 is a thermally coated variant of the same weapon. The I-2000 Penetrator warheads are intended for hardened or underground structures, which makes them relevant to military operations in heavily fortified areas.

What remains unclear is when, or whether, the administration will formally notify Congress and whether lawmakers will move to block the sale. US Senator Chris Van Hollen has said he would work to stop it, according to the supplied material. The next stage will depend on the formal review process and on whether opposition in Congress gains enough support to delay or halt the package.

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