Trump plans USD 2.8 billion Israel bomb deal amid Gaza casualty concerns
The Trump administration is planning a new arms package for Israel that includes 40,000 bombs weighing 2,000 pounds each, in a deal worth USD 2.8 billion. These are the same kind of weapons whose delivery was paused by the Biden administration two years ago over concerns about the risk of mass casualties in Gaza.
According to two US officials and a person familiar with the plan, the package is not yet final. Congress has been informally told about the proposed deal, most of which would be funded through US foreign military financing, under which American taxpayer money is given to Israel to buy weapons from the United States.
The package includes 20,000 Mk84 bombs and 20,000 BLU-117 bombs. It is the latest in a series of steps by the Trump administration to strengthen Israel's military capacity. The proposal, first reported by The Washington Post, comes at a time when Israel is facing growing international isolation over its war in Gaza, launched after the deadly October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.
In 2024, the Biden administration stopped one shipment of these bombs, but Trump removed that hold after returning to office. Last year, the Trump administration also bypassed the usual congressional review process to approve a nearly USD 3 billion sale to Israel that included more than 35,500 of the bombs. It later cleared another set of arms sales to Israel worth USD 6.67 billion in January.
The 2,000-pound bombs come in different variants. Some are meant to hit deep underground targets, while others explode above ground and cause wide damage. The Israeli military has given few details about the bombs and artillery used in Gaza, but experts who studied strike footage and blast fragments found at sites believe US-made bombs have been used there. They said the strikes were aimed at a tunnel network used by Hamas, but also killed people in densely populated areas.
The war has continued despite a fragile ceasefire brokered by the United States. The Hamas-led attack on southern Israel in 2023 killed about 1,200 people and 251 were taken hostage. Gaza's Health Ministry said Israel's offensive has killed more than 73,264 Palestinians, including those killed after the ceasefire, as the conflict and arms supplies remain under close scrutiny.
