According to US media reports, the Trump administration has approved the sale of 60,000 2,000-pound bombs (approximately 907 kg) to Israel. This approximately $2.8 billion plan is expected to include 20,000 MK-84, 20,000 BLU-117, and 20,000 I-2000 penetrating rounds, primarily funded through the Foreign Military Finance (FMF) mechanism—meaning the US government pays for the weapons, and Israel purchases them from the US.
Al Jazeera, headquartered in Qatar, believes this is long-term military aid supported by US taxpayers; the scale of 60,000 2,000-pound bombs is very large, significantly expanding Israel's long-term heavy munitions stockpile; these bombs target high-destructive targets and will significantly enhance Israel's future ability to conduct high-intensity strikes against buildings, underground facilities, and fortified targets; given Israel's past use of 2,000-pound bombs in Gaza and Lebanon, this batch of weapons may pose humanitarian risks.
This military aid also reflects the Trump administration's continued strong support for Israel. The Biden administration suspended some 2,000-pound bomb deliveries in 2024, but Trump lifted the restrictions after returning to power and continued to approve large-scale arms sales. Al Jazeera views this as evidence of a further shift in US policy toward supporting Israel's military capabilities.
A significant contradiction is that the US itself is facing ammunition shortages. Pentagon oversight reports indicate that the war in Iraq is consuming large quantities of US ammunition, particularly high-end anti-aircraft missiles like the Patriot, and the supply chain has reached a bottleneck. Providing such a large-scale supply of ammunition to Israel while its own stockpiles are strained underscores the policy tensions involved.
