Israel Receives Shipment of Heavy Bombs Cleared by Trump
"We released them. We released them today. And they'll have them. They paid for them and they've been waiting for them for a long time. They've been in storage," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Israel has received a shipment of heavy MK-84 bombs from the United States after U.S. President Donald Trump lifted a block imposed on the export of the munitions by the administration of predecessor Joe Biden, the Israeli defense ministry said on Sunday.
The MK-84 is an unguided 2,000-pound bomb, capable of penetrating thick concrete and metal, creating a wide blast radius. The Biden administration had previously declined to approve the export of these bombs to Israel, citing concerns over their impact in densely populated areas of the Gaza Strip.
Initially, the Biden administration had sent thousands of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel following the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Palestinian Hamas militants from Gaza. However, one of the subsequent shipments was held up due to concerns over their potential use in urban warfare. This hold was lifted by Trump last month.
"The munitions shipment that arrived in Israel tonight, released by the Trump Administration, represents a significant asset for the Air Force and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and serves as further evidence of the strong alliance between Israel and the United States," Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said late on Saturday.
Trump, speaking aboard Air Force One on Saturday, confirmed his decision to release the shipment, reversing Biden’s policy. "We released them. We released them today. And they'll have them. They paid for them and they've been waiting for them for a long time. They've been in storage," he stated.
According to Israel’s Ministry of Defense, since the beginning of the war in October 2023, over 76,000 tons of military equipment have arrived in Israel via 678 transport planes and 129 ships, the vast majority supplied by the U.S.
The shipment arrived amid growing uncertainty over the durability of a fragile ceasefire in Gaza, agreed upon last month. Both sides have accused each other of violating the terms of the truce, which was intended to facilitate the exchange of hostages held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli jails.
The U.S.-Israel military alliance has long been a cornerstone of American foreign policy in the Middle East. Since Israel's founding in 1948, the United States has provided it with extensive military aid, technology, and strategic support, citing shared democratic values and mutual security interests.