The Trump administration is planning a $2.8 billion munitions sale to Israel that would include 40,000 2,000-pound bombs, according to Reuters and the Associated Press. The reported package is split between 20,000 Mk 84 bombs and 20,000 BLU-117 bombs.
The proposal has been informally communicated to the relevant congressional committees, but it is not final. The Associated Press reported that most of the package would be financed through U.S. Foreign Military Financing, which provides grants that Israel can use to buy American weapons.
The planned sale renews debate over the use of heavy bombs in populated areas. President Joe Biden paused a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs in 2024 over concerns about mass civilian casualties in Gaza; President Donald Trump later lifted that hold. The two reported bomb types are both 2,000-pound weapons, though their design and intended effects differ.
The dollar value and munition counts come from unnamed officials and people familiar with the proposal. Reuters reported that the State Department and the Israeli Embassy in Washington did not immediately comment. No formal public sale announcement was cited in the reports, so the package's terms and timing could still change.
