US President Donald Trump's administration plans to send $2.8 billion in weapons to Israel under a proposed deal involving 40,000 bombs, each weighing 2,000 pounds, or about 907 kilograms, according to US officials. A US official familiar with the matter said the deal includes 20,000 MK-84 bombs, known as "the Hammer," and 20,000 BLU-117 bombs, along with 20,000 I-2000 bunker-busting warheads.
Deal exceeds previous transfers
The MK-84 is considered a highly destructive conventional munition. Its explosion can propel metal fragments thousands of feet, while it can also penetrate concrete and thick metal and create large craters. US pilots called it "the Hammer" during the 1991 Gulf War.
Biden suspended shipments; Trump lifted restrictions
Former US President Joe Biden temporarily suspended shipments of this bomb to Israel in 2024 over concerns about civilian casualties, before Trump repealed the policy in January 2025. The Israeli military used 2,000-pound bombs extensively in Gaza and Lebanon, drawing criticism from rights experts over civilian casualties.
Brian Finucane, a senior adviser at the International Crisis Group, said there were "real concerns" about how these weapons would be used in densely populated areas, in light of Israel's conduct during its war in Gaza and southern Lebanon. US media personality Tucker Carlson criticized the deal, saying the shipment was funded by US taxpayers through the Foreign Military Financing program.
He also claimed that the new bombs would be used in Lebanon and possibly in other countries in the region. A Quinnipiac University poll conducted in June found that 48% of US voters and 66% of Democrats believed Washington was providing more support to Israel than it should, compared with 16% and 20%, respectively, when the question was first asked in 2017.
Gaza's Health Ministry said more than 73,000 Palestinians had been killed in the territory by Israeli forces, while a UN investigation concluded that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza.
