Trump plans USD 2.8 billion Israel arms deal with 40,000 heavy bombs

Washington,UPDATED: Sep 16, 2026 06:06 IST

The Trump administration is preparing an arms package worth USD 2.8 billion for Israel that includes 40,000 powerful 2,000-pound bombs, according to two US officials and a person familiar with the plan. The proposed deal, which is not yet final, involves weapons whose delivery was paused by the Biden administration two years ago over concerns about mass casualties in Gaza.

Congress has been informally notified about the pending deal, most of which would be paid for through foreign military financing, under which US taxpayer money is given to Israel to buy weapons from the United States. The package is the latest in a series of steps by the Trump administration to strengthen Israel's military capacity as the war in Gaza continues despite a fragile ceasefire brokered by the US.

According to the officials, the package includes 20,000 Mk84 bombs and 20,000 BLU-117 bombs. The proposed sale, first reported by The Washington Post, comes at a time when Israel is facing growing international isolation over its war in Gaza following the deadly October 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas.

The move also suggests that strains between President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have not affected the broader US-Israeli alliance. The two leaders have had a difficult relationship at times, particularly since the US and Israel launched the war against Iran in February. Trump had also expressed frustration with Netanyahu over the Iran conflict before their latest meeting at the White House in July.

In 2024, the Biden administration held back one shipment of the bombs, but Trump lifted 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 series of arms sales to Israel worth USD 6.67 billion in January.

The 2,000-pound bombs come in multiple variants. Some are designed to strike deep underground targets, while others explode above ground and can cause extensive damage. The Israeli military has given few details about the bombs and artillery it has used in Gaza, but experts who studied strike footage and fragments at attack sites believe US-made bombs have been used there, targeting a Hamas tunnel network but also killing people in densely populated areas.

Although the heaviest fighting in Gaza has eased since the fragile ceasefire took effect in October, Israel has continued strikes in the territory, including attacks overnight and into Tuesday that killed several people. This has continued even after Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and a key Middle East negotiator, met Netanyahu last month to try to move the ceasefire forward and asked Israel to reduce its attacks. Militants have also carried out shooting attacks on Israeli troops, and Israel has said its strikes are in response to those and other ceasefire violations.

The Hamas-led attack on southern Israel in 2023 killed around 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed more than 73,264 Palestinians, including those killed since the ceasefire, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The proposed bomb sale underlines Washington's continued military backing for Israel even as the conflict and its humanitarian toll remain under intense international scrutiny.

With PTI Inputs

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