Trump administration plans a $2.8 billion US arms sale to Israel featuring 40,000 2,000-pound bombs.
The package includes 20,000 MK-84 bombs, 20,000 BLU-117s and 20,000 I-2000 Penetrator warheads.
The proposed Israel weapons deal has been notified to Congress amid growing opposition among some Democratic lawmakers.
The Trump administration is preparing a $2.8 billion weapons package for Israel that would include 40,000 bombs weighing 2,000 pounds each, according to a US official who spoke to The Washington Post, as the proposed sale faces scrutiny from members of Congress.
The package includes 20,000 MK-84 bombs, 20,000 BLU-117s and 20,000 I-2000 Penetrator warheads. Although described as an arms sale, the transaction would be financed through the Foreign Military Financing mechanism, under which the United States provides Israel with funds to purchase American weapons.
When asked about the humanitarian concerns, a senior administration official said: “All foreign arms sales are moving through the appropriate process. We do not comment on pending sales.”
The Israeli Embassy did not respond to a request for comment.
The proposed transfer has been informally notified to congressional committees, setting up a potential litmus test for Democrats as frustration with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has created unprecedented strain in the US-Israel relationship. According to The Washington Post, the package is larger than previous US transfers of 2,000-pound munitions to Israel under both the Biden and Trump administrations.
What the proposed package contains
The $2.8 billion package would include 40,000 bombs weighing 2,000 pounds each. Of those, 20,000 would be MK-84s and another 20,000 would be BLU-117s. A further 20,000 I-2000 Penetrator warheads would also be included.
An MK-84 explosion can send metal fragments thousands of feet in every direction, penetrate metal and thick concrete, and create large craters. The bomb was nicknamed the “hammer” by US pilots during the first Gulf War.
Trevor Ball, a former explosive-ordnance-disposal technician for the US Army, described how the MK-84 can be used against buildings.
“They do like to use them a lot when they’re trying to target any building,” said Trevor Ball, a former explosive-ordnance-disposal technician for the U.S. Army. “If Hezbollah or whoever is in a building, an MK-84 will bring down the whole building.”
The I-2000 is a penetrating bomb body used against hardened structures, while the BLU-117 is a variant of the MK-84 with a thermal protective coating intended to make it safer for naval storage.
The Washington Post reported that the proposed package exceeds previous sales of 2,000-pound munitions to Israel under both the Biden and Trump administrations. Those included a $2.04 billion sale in 2025 that bypassed the normal congressional review process.
Previous US restrictions on the bombs
Israel has used 2,000-pound bombs on hundreds of occasions in Gaza and Lebanon, where they have played a significant role in the death toll of those conflicts. Israel has also faced criticism over the use of MK-84s in areas it had designated as safe for civilians in Gaza.
The Biden administration stopped sending the munition to Israel during the Gaza war out of concern about the killing of Palestinian civilians. The policy involved suspending a single shipment of the munitions in spring 2024.
Trump reversed that policy in January 2025, his first month back in office.
Brian Finucane, a senior adviser at the International Crisis Group, said the use of such weapons in densely populated areas remained a concern.
“Given the way Israel conducted its air war in Gaza and, to some extent, in southern Lebanon, there are real concerns about how such weapons would be used in densely populated areas,” said Brian Finucane, a senior adviser at the International Crisis Group. “That’s assuming that you have valid military targets to start with because there are concerns about what Israel deems to be valid military targets.”
Sale comes amid US-Israel tensions
The proposed sale comes despite disagreements between the Trump administration and the Israeli government over several issues, including violent attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank and Israeli military operations in Lebanon and Syria.
Israel has also spurned Trump's Gaza peace plan, which calls for Hamas to disarm in exchange for an Israeli military withdrawal.
Tensions increased after the Trump administration reached a short-lived deal with Iran aimed at ending the war there. Allies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised the agreement and attacked Vice President JD Vance for negotiating it.
As the conflict has continued ahead of the US midterm elections, Trump and his aides have grown increasingly frustrated with Netanyahu, who had pushed for the war on the promise of a quick and decisive victory, according to The Washington Post.
Although delivery of such orders can take several years, approving the sale would send a broader signal about the bilateral relationship between the US and Israel.
“If the Trump administration’s goal is to calm things down in the Middle East, the timing of this is unusual,” Finucane said. “Whether they intend to or not, it sends a vote of confidence to Israel.”
Congressional resistance grows
The Trump administration is pressing the leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee to approve the proposed sale.
Republican and Democratic congressional leaders have historically supported such arms sales, but resistance among rank-and-file lawmakers has grown over US support for Israel, amid opposition to the wars in Gaza and Iran.
Polls consistently show that most Americans oppose the war in Iran, which has raised energy costs and increased inflation. In July, more than 100 House Democrats voted to end all US aid to Israel, signalling a shift within the party over support for the country.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland) said Tuesday that he intended to build support against the arms 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,” he said.
“This is not putting Americans first. We will work to stop it,” he added.
Republicans are more unified in their support for Israel, although a growing number of conservative commentators, including Megyn Kelly, Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens, have questioned Washington’s steadfast backing of Israel and the $3.8 billion in aid the US sends to the country every year.
