Gaza Genocide · updated 1h ago · 2 min read
Trump Administration Approves $2.8 Billion Arms Package for Israel, Including 40,000 2,000-Pound Bombs
U.S. approves $2.8 billion weapons package for Israel. Package includes 40,000 2,000-pound bombs.
18 outlets, one story, no spin found.
9 of 11 outlets skipped it: sale includes I-2000 penetrator warheads.
Al Jazeera was read line by line by the Watchdog: 3.4. See the score →
18outlets compared
WPDE foregrounds condemnation of Israel and the use of US taxpayer funds. The Washington Post leads with the official non-comment response.
Bomb Sale Approved
The Trump administration has approved a $2.8 billion arms package for Israel that would include 40,000 2,000-pound bombs, according to The Washington Post and The New York Times.
“The $2.8 billion package, which would be purchased with U.S. taxpayer dollars, includes 40,000 bombs”
The package is described as including 20,000 MK-84 bombs and 20,000 BLU-117 bombs, and it would also provide 20,000 I-2000 penetrator warheads, with the bombs weighing 2,000 pounds each.
A senior administration official told The Washington Post, “All foreign arms sales are moving through the appropriate process. We do not comment on pending sales,” as the plan was reported to be financed through Foreign Military Financing using U.S. taxpayer dollars.
The New York Times said the proposed sale would include 40,000 one-ton bombs, and it described their use by Israel in Gaza and Lebanon as drawing international anger because of the civilian harm caused by their wide blast radius.
Criticism and Warnings
The Washington Post reported that the Biden administration stopped sending the MK-84 munitions during the Gaza war by suspending a single shipment in the spring of 2024 over concerns about killing Palestinian civilians.
Trevor Ball, a former explosive-ordnance-disposal technician for the U.S. Army, told The Washington Post, “If Hezbollah or whoever is in a building, an MK-84 will bring down the whole building,” describing how the weapon can be used to target buildings.
In Congress, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland) said Tuesday he intended to build support against the sale, arguing, “Donald Trump is sending bombs paid for by American taxpayers to a government led by a wanted war criminal.”
The Washington Post also quoted Brian Finucane, a senior adviser at the International Crisis Group, saying, “there are real concerns about how such weapons would be used in densely populated areas,” linking the pause to the risk of mass casualties in Gaza.
Gaza Toll and Next Steps
While the arms package moves through congressional channels, Gaza’s Health Ministry figures cited by The Washington Post and The Times of India place the Palestinian death toll above 73,264, including those killed after the latest ceasefire took effect.
“Gaza's Health Ministry says more than 73,264 Palestinians have been killed”
The Times of India said Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 73,264 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive, and it tied the proposed deal to the Biden administration’s earlier pause over concerns about mass casualties in Gaza.
In parallel, The Toronto Star reported that a building housing dozens of people collapsed in Gaza City early Wednesday morning, killing 21 people including 11 children, with Zaher al-Wahidi of the Gaza Health Ministry saying the death toll stood at 21 as of Wednesday afternoon.
The Toronto Star quoted Aboud Majdalawi, a rescuer with Gaza’s civil defense, saying, “The lack of options and alternatives left them with no other choice,” as rescuers clawed through rubble after the collapse.