The Donald Trump administration is planning a $2.8 billion weapons sale to Israel that would include tens of thousands of 2,000-pound bombs, according to a US official familiar with the proposed deal. The package has been informally shared with congressional committees that review major US arms sales.
The planned sale includes 20,000 MK 84 bombs and 20,000 BLU-117 bombs, both weighing 2,000 pounds, the official said. The package would also include 20,000 I-2000 Penetrator warheads, according to a report by The Washington Post, which first reported details of the proposed deal.
Breaking news: The Trump administration is preparing a $2.8 billion sale of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel, the largest single sale of the controversial munitions in recent years, a U.S. official told The Post. https://t.co/OBZqGeTtgw
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) September 15, 2026
A senior White House official confirmed that the sale was going through the required process but declined to provide further details. “All foreign arms sales are moving through the appropriate process. We do not comment on pending sales,” the official told the newspaper. The Israeli embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Concerns over use of 2,000-Pound bombs
The proposed shipment has drawn attention because Israel has used 2,000-pound bombs during its military operations in Gaza and Lebanon. Rights experts have raised concerns about the use of such large weapons in densely populated urban areas, saying they can cause extensive destruction and potentially bring down entire buildings.
A former US Army explosive-ordnance-disposal technician told The Washington Post that Israel regularly uses the bombs when targeting buildings. “If Hezbollah or whoever is in a building, an MK-84 will bring down the whole building,” the former technician said.
Brian Finucane, a senior adviser at the International Crisis Group, also raised concerns about how the weapons could be used in populated areas.
“Given the way Israel conducted its air war in Gaza and, to some extent, in southern Lebanon, there are real concerns about how such weapons would be used in densely populated areas,” Finucane told the newspaper.
“That’s assuming that you have valid military targets to start with because there are concerns about what Israel deems to be valid military targets,” he added.
Biden had paused similar shipment
The planned sale also brings back debate over the use of heavy bombs in Gaza. Former US President Joe Biden paused a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel in 2024 over concerns about possible civilian harm. The shipments resumed after Trump returned to office in early 2025.
Israel has repeatedly said that it does not intentionally target civilians. Its government says its military strikes are aimed at neutralising terrorist threats and destroying military infrastructure.
The latest proposed package has not yet been publicly finalised. It is now moving through the US process for major foreign arms sales, with congressional committees having been informally notified of the planned deal.
