Trump administration preparing $2.8B weapons package for Israel with 40,000 heavy bombs: Report

WASHINGTON, DC: The Trump administration is preparing a $2.8 billion munitions sale to Israel that would include 40,000 bombs that weigh 2,000 pounds each, according to a report The Washington Post, which cited a US official who spoke on the condition of anonymity and is familiar with the proposed transaction.

The package would also include 20,000 MK-84 bombs, 20,000 BLU-117 bombs and 20,000 I-2000 Penetrator warheads, according to the cited official. 

The proposed sale has been informally communicated to congressional committees as lawmakers weigh the transaction amid continuing debate over US support for Israel.

$2.8B Israel weapons package includes 2,000-pound bombs

According to the outlet, the proposed transaction would be financed through Foreign Military Financing, a mechanism under which the United States provides funding that Israel uses to purchase American weapons.

The package would also be funded with US taxpayer dollars.

The MK-84 is among the most powerful conventional bombs in the US military arsenal.

According to the outlet, an explosion from the bomb can send metal fragments thousands of feet, penetrate metal and thick concrete and create large craters.

The proposed package also includes BLU-117 bombs, a variant of the MK-84 with a thermal protective coating designed to make the weapon safer for naval storage.

The I-2000 is a penetrating bomb body used against hardened structures.

When asked about the humanitarian concerns, a senior administration official, told the outlet that “all foreign arms sales are moving through the appropriate process. We do not comment on pending sales.”

The latest proposed package would be larger than previous US sales of 2,000-pound munitions to Israel during both the Biden and Trump administrations, including one of the most controversial $2.04 billion sales in 2025 that bypassed an earlier Biden-era pause. 

The said shipment was extensively used by Israel during military operations in Gaza and Lebanon.

Israel has also drawn sharp criticism for using MK-48 bombs in densely populated areas, the state had earlier designated as safe for civilians.

Trevor Ball, a former US Army explosive-ordnance-disposal technician, described the weapon’s destructive capability.

“They do like to use them a lot when they’re trying to target any building,” Ball told the network.

“Whoever is in a building, an MK-84 will bring down the whole building.”

Trump's Israel weapons sale faces scrutiny

The proposal comes despite several areas of tension between Israel and the Trump administration, including Israeli settler violence in the West Bank, military operations in Lebanon and Syria, and the future of Gaza.

The proposed weapons transfer is also emerging as some Democratic lawmakers have become more critical of US military support for Israel.

More than 100 House Democrats voted in July to end all US aid to Israel.

Senator Chris Van Hollen also told the outlet that he plans to organize opposition to the proposed sale. 

“Donald Trump is sending bombs paid for by American taxpayers to a government led by a wanted war criminal, all while the Netanyahu government continues to bomb Gaza and Lebanon, and block justice and accountability for Americans killed on its watch,” Van Hollen said.

“This is not putting Americans first. We will work to stop it,” he added.