US preparing sale of 40,000 one-ton bombs to Israel, sources say

The Trump administration has greenlit a $2.8 billion arms sale to Israel that includes tens of thousands of controversial one-ton bombs, according to three sources familiar with the matter. The package contains 20,000 MK-84 and 20,000 BLU-117 bombs, which are both powerful, general-purpose heavy munitions, along with other explosives, the sources said. The bombs, which have a wide blast zone, are controversial because of a high risk to civilians when they are deployed in heavily populated areas. Smoke and flames rise from a house during an Israeli strike, carried out after the Israeli military warned residents to evacuate the area, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, Sept. 9, 2026. Ramadan Abed/Reuters While the State Department has informally notified key congressional committees about the pending sale, the administration has not yet initiated a formal review process and the package has not been finalized, the sources said. The State Department does not confirm or comment on pending arms sales before formally notifying Congress. "The United States reserves the right to protect its national and international interests. Our commitment to Israel is ironclad," a department spokesperson said in a statement. "Israel has the right to defend itself, and the United States supports Israel taking necessary action to defend its country, consistent with international law." The administration’s decision to push forward the proposed sale, which was first reported by The Washington Post, comes in spite of recent public disagreements between President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over post-war plans for Gaza and military escalation in Lebanon. Related Rubio says US struck Iran fearing it would retaliate for Israeli attack U.S. sales of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel have come under scrutiny in the past. Amid criticism of Israel's military campaign in Gaza and concerns about the mass killing of Palestinian civilians, the Biden administration suspended one shipment of the munitions in 2024 -- containing 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs. Popular Reads Iran live updates: US says Americans should 'reconsider travel' to Saudi Arabia 9 hours ago Judge blocks adding Trump tribute to Kennedy Center in scathing ruling 1 day ago Trump blames global diesel shortages on Ukraine, says Tehran wants a deal Sep 13 In early 2025, the Trump administration lifted the pause on the shipment and sidestepped congressional review by invoking emergency measures to process another arms sale to Israel that included 35,500 MK 84 and BLU-117 bombs. The sale went through after bypassing congressional review. The conflict in Gaza has eased significantly since a U.S.-backed ceasefire took hold in October 2025, but Israeli strikes in the area have continued in response to what the country’s authorities say are efforts by Hamas to reconstitute. "There's not a lot of fighting in Gaza. Hamas is now willing to give up their weapons," President Donald Trump said earlier this week. Although Hamas has agreed to the U.S.-created Board of Peace's plan, which requires the group to disarm, there are lingering disagreements over the sequencing and both sides have accused each other of violating the terms of the deal. Envoys of the Trump administration have attempted to advance the peace process in recent weeks, but some officials assess that any substantial progress is unlikely to happen before Israel's legislative elections in late October.