In the long and troubled history of arms and alliance, the United States is preparing to send 40,000 of its heaviest bombs to Israel — a $2.8 billion transaction funded by American taxpayers and routed through the machinery of Foreign Military Financing. The weapons in question, already deployed hundreds of times across Gaza and Lebanon, carry a destructive radius of half a mile and have drawn condemnation from human rights observers and lawmakers alike. The sale arrives at a moment of unusual political fracture, with voices from across the ideological spectrum questioning whether unconditiona
Trump administration prepares $2.8bn sale of 40,000 heavy bombs to Israel
Israel has used these bombs hundreds of times in Gaza and Lebanon, including in civilian areas, contributing to tens of thousands of deaths according to critics.
Bombs paid for by American taxpayers to a government led by a wanted war criminal
Mark
Why is this sale happening now, and what makes it different from previous arms transfers?
Mimi
The scale is what stands out—40,000 bombs is the largest single shipment of this munition type in recent years. But the timing matters too. Israel appears to be moving quickly to secure this package while Trump is in office, before a future administration might be less willing to approve it.
Luke
We should be careful here. The reporting says analysts "see the timing as deliberate," but that's interpretation, not confirmed fact. What we know for certain is the sale is happening and the amount is large.
Mark
What's the actual destructive capability we're talking about?
Mimi
Each bomb has a destruction radius of half a mile. The thermal wave reaches temperatures like the sun's surface. A single bomb can collapse apartment buildings and create craters thirty-five feet deep. Metal fragments scatter for hundreds of meters.
Luke
Those are the figures in the reporting, yes. But we should note those descriptions come from analysis of the weapon's design, not from direct measurement of every impact in Gaza or Lebanon.
Mark
Has Israel used these bombs before, and if so, where?
Mimi
Hundreds of times, in both Gaza and Lebanon. Critically, they've been used in areas Israel itself designated as safe for civilians. That's what prompted the human rights criticism.
Luke
The reporting confirms "hundreds of times" and the civilian area designation. What we don't have in this reporting is a specific count of how many times, or a detailed accounting of the civilian impact from those previous uses.
Mark
Why did Biden pause a shipment of these bombs?
Mimi
Civilian casualty concerns. It was the only munition Biden withheld during the entire conflict. Trump reversed that pause in his first month back in office.
Luke
That's accurate to the reporting. It's worth noting that Biden approved many other weapons transfers during the same period—this pause was narrow and specific to this munition type.
Mark
Who's opposing the sale?
Mimi
A senator, a former congresswoman, a conservative commentator, and implicitly, human rights organizations. The opposition is bipartisan and vocal.
Luke
True, but we should be precise about what "bipartisan" means here. We have one senator and one former congresswoman quoted. That's real opposition, but it's not yet clear how much broader congressional support for blocking it actually is. The reporting says "bipartisan unease" exists, but doesn't quantify it.
O Pulso
- The Trump administration is finalizing the largest single bomb shipment to Israel in recent memory — 40,000 weapons capable of collapsing apartment buildings and leaving craters thirty-five feet deep.
- These same munitions have already been dropped hundreds of times in Gaza and Lebanon, including in areas designated as civilian safe zones, contributing to a death toll critics measure in the tens of thousands.
- Opposition is erupting across party lines — from progressive senators vowing to block the deal to conservative commentators like Tucker Carlson calling it a taxpayer-funded gift used to 'exterminate an unarmed civilian population.'
- Analysts see Israel's urgency as strategic: locking in maximum US military commitment now, before a future administration might impose conditions or restraint.
- The administration insists the process is routine, but the silence from the State Department and the scale of the package are being read by critics as a deliberate vote of confidence in Israel at the worst possible moment for regional de-escalation.
In the long and troubled history of arms and alliance, the United States is preparing to send 40,000 of its heaviest bombs to Israel — a $2.8 billion transaction funded by American taxpayers and routed through the machinery of Foreign Military Financing. The weapons in question, already deployed hundreds of times across Gaza and Lebanon, carry a destructive radius of half a mile and have drawn condemnation from human rights observers and lawmakers alike. The sale arrives at a moment of unusual political fracture, with voices from across the ideological spectrum questioning whether unconditional military support serves either American values or regional stability. What is being transferred is not merely ordnance, but a posture — a signal, however unintended, about whose suffering counts and whose security is guaranteed.
The Trump administration is moving forward with a $2.8 billion arms package for Israel — 40,000 heavy bombs, the largest single shipment of this munition type in recent years. Congressional committees have been informally notified, though formal notification has not yet taken place.
The package consists of 20,000 MK-84 general-purpose bombs and 20,000 BLU-117s, a thermally coated naval variant — both weighing 907 kilograms. Also included are I-2000 Penetrator warheads designed to strike hardened underground structures. The entire purchase will be funded through Foreign Military Financing, meaning US government money flows to Israel, which then uses it to buy American weapons.
Known as 'the hammer' among US pilots since the Gulf War, the MK-84 is one of the most destructive munitions in Western arsenals. Its blast radius extends half a mile; its thermal wave reaches temperatures comparable to the sun's surface. Israel has deployed these bombs hundreds of times across Gaza and Lebanon, including in areas it had designated as safe for civilians. The only shipment ever paused over civilian casualty concerns — a single delivery of these same bombs under Biden in 2024 — was reversed by Trump within his first month back in office.
Opposition is now mounting from unexpected directions. Senator Chris Van Hollen vowed to block the sale, calling it bombs sent to 'a government led by a wanted war criminal.' Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene declared that Americans 'did not vote for this.' Tucker Carlson called the package a 'gift' and urged lawmakers to intervene, accusing the government of enabling the killing of civilians in Gaza.
Analysts view the timing as deliberate — Israel moving to lock in deep US military backing before a potentially less accommodating future administration. The sale arrives amid visible strain between Trump and Netanyahu and growing bipartisan unease in Washington. Brian Finucane of the International Crisis Group warned that the deal 'sends a vote of confidence to Israel' at the very moment the administration claims to want calm in the region. The State Department has declined to comment pending formal congressional notification.
The Trump administration is moving forward with a $2.8 billion arms package for Israel—40,000 heavy bombs, the largest single shipment of this munition type in recent years. The deal has been informally notified to congressional committees, though formal notification has not yet occurred.
The package breaks down into two main components: 20,000 MK-84 general-purpose bombs and 20,000 BLU-117s, a thermally coated variant designed for safer storage on naval vessels. Both are 907-kilogram weapons. The sale also includes I-2000 Penetrator warheads built to strike hardened, underground structures. The entire purchase will be funded through Foreign Military Financing, a mechanism in which the US government provides the money that Israel then uses to buy American weapons.
The MK-84, nicknamed "the hammer" by US pilots during the first Gulf War, is among the most destructive munitions in Western arsenals. A single bomb sends metal fragments outward for hundreds of meters and can tear through thick concrete. According to reporting on the deal, the destruction radius extends half a mile from impact, with a thermal wave reaching temperatures comparable to the sun's surface. The blast is powerful enough to collapse apartment buildings and leave craters thirty-five feet deep.
Israel has deployed these 907-kilogram bombs hundreds of times across Gaza and Lebanon, including in areas it had designated as safe for civilians. The pattern has drawn sustained criticism from human rights organizations. During the Biden administration, the only munition shipment withheld over civilian casualty concerns was a single delivery of these same bombs in 2024. Trump reversed that pause within his first month back in office.
Opposition to the sale is mounting across the political spectrum. Senator Chris Van Hollen announced he would work to block it, characterizing the deal as sending "bombs paid for by American taxpayers to a government led by a wanted war criminal." Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene stated flatly: "We did not vote for this. America does not support this. Our tax dollars and weapons have been used to kill tens of thousands of innocent people." Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson called the roughly $3 billion package "a gift" to Israel, accusing the government of working to "exterminate an unarmed civilian population in Gaza" and urging lawmakers to block the deal.
The timing of the sale carries strategic weight. Analysts view it as deliberate on Israel's part—an effort to lock in expansive US military backing now, before a future administration might prove less reliably unconditional in its support. The sale also arrives amid growing strain between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and rising bipartisan unease in Washington over unconditional military aid.
Brian Finucane, senior adviser with the US Program at the International Crisis Group, said the sale "sends a vote of confidence to Israel," even if unintentionally, at a moment when the administration publicly states it wants to calm the region. The State Department has declined to comment on the proposed sale before formal congressional notification, while a senior administration official said only that "all foreign arms sales are moving through the appropriate process."
Citações Notáveis
We did not vote for this. America does not support this. Our tax dollars and weapons have been used to kill tens of thousands of innocent people.— Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene
The sale sends a vote of confidence to Israel at a moment when the administration says it wants to calm the region.— Brian Finucane, International Crisis Group
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War & Conflict