US Plans $2.8 Billion Bomb Sale to Israel
The US is preparing to sell Israel 40,000 powerful aircraft bombs worth $2.8 billion, weapons whose delivery was once halted over mass-casualty concerns in Gaza.
The United States is preparing a new arms deal with Israel worth approximately $2.8 billion (€2.42 billion) that would supply 40,000 powerful aircraft bombs, according to two US officials and a person familiar with the plan, all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity.
The package includes 2,000-pound (900 kg) Mk84 and BLU-117 bombs. These same weapons previously raised concerns about the risk of mass civilian casualties in Gaza, prompting the Biden administration to put their delivery on hold two years ago. President Donald Trump lifted that hold after returning to office.
Congress has reportedly been informally notified of the pending deal. Most of its cost is expected to be covered through foreign military financing, a mechanism in which US taxpayer funds are provided to Israel so it can purchase the weapons from American suppliers.
Context
The proposed sale is the latest in a series of moves by the Trump administration to strengthen Israel's military capabilities. The war in Gaza has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and caused widespread destruction across the territory. Although the US helped broker a fragile ceasefire, violence has continued there.
News of the deal comes as Israel faces growing international isolation over its conduct of the war in Gaza, which began in response to Hamas's deadly attacks on 7 October 2023. The sale suggests that despite reportedly strained relations between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the military partnership between the two countries remains largely intact.
The US and Israel jointly launched a war against Iran in February, and Trump had voiced frustration with Netanyahu over the Iran conflict ahead of their meeting at the White House this past July. Last year, the Trump administration bypassed the standard congressional review process to approve a nearly $3 billion arms sale to Israel that included more than 35,500 similar bombs. In January, the administration approved a further round of arms sales to Israel totaling $6.67 billion.
