US to send $2.8B arms package for Israel including controversial bombs: WaPo

The administration of US President Donald Trump is preparing a $2.8 billion arms package for Israel that would include 40,000 bombs weighing 2,000 pounds (907 kilograms) each, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday.

The proposed package includes 20,000 MK-84 bombs, 20,000 BLU-117 bombs and 20,000 I-2000 Penetrator warheads. The weapons would be purchased with US taxpayer funds.

The MK-84 is among the most destructive conventional munitions in Western military arsenals. Its blast can propel metal fragments thousands of feet, penetrate thick concrete and metal and create large craters.

Israel has used 2,000-pound bombs extensively in Gaza and Lebanon, where their use has been linked to significant civilian casualties. Israel has also faced criticism over the use of MK-84 bombs in areas it had designated as safe for civilians in Gaza.

The proposed package would exceed previous US transfers of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel under both the Biden and Trump administrations.

It would also be larger than a controversial $2.04 billion arms sale approved in 2025 that bypassed the standard congressional review process.

Trevor Ball, a former US Army explosive-ordnance-disposal technician, described Israel's use of the weapons, saying they are frequently employed when targeting buildings.

“If Hezbollah or whoever is in a building, an MK-84 will bring down the whole building,” Ball said.

The MK-84 was nicknamed the “hammer” by US pilots during the 1991 Gulf War. It was the only munition whose shipment to Israel was temporarily suspended by former President Joe Biden in 2024 over concerns about civilian casualties.

Trump reversed the policy in January 2025.

Brian Finucane, a senior adviser at the International Crisis Group, said there are “real concerns” over how such weapons could be used in densely populated areas, given Israel’s conduct of its air campaign in Gaza and, to some extent, in southern Lebanon.