US plans $2.8B bomb shipment to Israel amid Gaza toll
Proposed transfer includes 40,000 heavy bombs as rights groups warn continued US arms support risks further civilian deaths
WASHINGTON (MNTV) — The United States is preparing a proposed $2.8 billion weapons package for Israel that would include 40,000 2,000-pound-class bombs, despite continuing international concern over civilian casualties and destruction in Gaza.
The proposed package, reported by The Washington Post, includes 20,000 MK-84 bomb bodies, 20,000 BLU-117 bomb bodies and 20,000 I-2000 penetrator warheads.
The scale of the proposed transfer has renewed scrutiny of Washington’s continued military support for Israel while Gaza remains devastated by Israeli attacks.
The planned shipment is particularly contentious because Israel has previously used 2,000-pound bombs in densely populated areas of Gaza.
On Oct. 31, 2023, Israeli aircraft dropped at least two such bombs on Jabaliya refugee camp, according to a New York Times analysis cited by Arab News, with the attack producing massive destruction and hundreds of reported casualties.
Human rights organizations have repeatedly raised concerns over the use of heavy explosive weapons in populated areas.
Amnesty International told Arab News that, if confirmed, the proposed transfer would further expose the United States to accusations of supporting violations of international law through continued weapons supplies to Israel.
The organization said US-made weapons have already been used in attacks that caused extensive civilian harm in Gaza and argued that Washington should halt arms transfers to Israel. Amnesty has also called for a comprehensive UN Security Council arms embargo on Israel.
The proposed arrangement would not represent a conventional cash purchase by Israel.
Much of the financing would reportedly come through US Foreign Military Financing grants, meaning American government funds would finance most of the acquisition under the US Arms Export Control Act.
The arrangement comes despite Washington’s previous acknowledgment of concerns surrounding the use of 2,000-pound bombs in densely populated areas.
In May 2024, the administration of President Joe Biden temporarily suspended a shipment containing such weapons because of concerns over their potential use during an Israeli strikes in Rafah.
President Donald Trump lifted that hold shortly after taking office in January 2025, allowing the previously withheld bombs to be transferred to Israel.
The new proposal would reportedly constitute the largest single sale of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel in recent years.
The proposed shipment has also raised questions about the consistency of US policy. While the Trump administration has sought to promote a new regional peace process, the planned transfer would provide Israel with another large supply of weapons capable of causing extensive blast and fragmentation effects.
Analysts cited by Arab News said the proposal could be connected not only to Gaza but also to broader regional tensions involving Iran, Yemen and Red Sea security.
Some warned that providing additional heavy munitions could increase the risks of further escalation rather than reduce them.
The weapons proposal is not yet final. It has reportedly been informally presented to congressional foreign affairs committees, a preliminary step that is separate from the formal statutory review process.
The proposal is also politically sensitive in the United States, where criticism of the administration’s policies toward Israel and its wider Middle East military strategy has grown.
Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen has publicly opposed the planned transfer, arguing that American taxpayers should not finance weapons for Israel while Israeli military strikes continue in Gaza and Lebanon. His characterization is a political position, rather than an established finding.
The potential transfer also comes against the backdrop of international concern over explosive weapons in populated areas.
A 2022 political declaration endorsed by the United States recognizes the severe direct and indirect effects of such weapons on civilians and civilian infrastructure, although it does not impose a general ban on their use.
The declaration highlights the potential destruction of homes, hospitals, schools, water and sanitation systems and other essential infrastructure, with consequences that can extend well beyond the immediate impact of an attack.
The proposed US weapons package therefore places Washington’s continuing military relationship with Israel alongside mounting questions over civilian protection, accountability and the consequences of supplying large quantities of heavy munitions for use in a densely populated region.
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