Trump Approves $3 Billion Weapons Transfer to Israel

The announced arms deal came a day before the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire and hostage exchange deal was set to expire

The White House used emergency powers to approve a $3 billion weapons transfer to Israel. The package includes arms that the Joe Biden administration was hesitant to send to Tel Aviv.

On Friday, the Pentagon announced three arms packages for Israel totaling over $3 billion. The first sale is 35,500 MK 84 and BLU-117 bombs, both munitions with 2,000-pound warheads. Additionally, the US will send 4,000 Predator bombs, 2,000-pound bunker busting munitions. The nearly 40,000 bombs will cost over $2 billion.

Tel Aviv has previously used bunker busting bombs as chemical weapons. The IDF found that if it used multiple warheads, a chemical reaction is created that can cause a suffocating gas in the tunnels below the surface.

The second arms package includes 5,000 1,000-pound bombs and 1,500 JDAM kits to turn the munitions into guided bombs. The 1,000-pound bombs and guidance kits are expected to cost $675 million. A third sale is for Caterpillar D9 Bulldozers with a price tag near $300 million.

The White House claims that the arms sale is an emergency, bypassing Congressional oversight. The Biden administration used the same tactic to rush weapons to Tel Aviv after Israel launched the onslaught in Gaza following the October 7 Hamas attack.

However, the Biden administration did restrict the transfer of 2,000-pound bombs and military bulldozers to Tel Aviv. Last month, Trump released a shipment of 1,800 2,000-pound to Israel that Biden paused in May.

Earlier this week, the Trump White House repealed a Biden-era national security memo that required countries to receive US weapons to not violate international law or block humanitarian aid.

While the Biden administration concluded that Israel was blocking aid transfers into Gaza, it continued to send most of the weapons that Tel Aviv requested. $22 billion in arms sent to Israel has been paid for with US military aid.

Since Trump came into office, Hamas and Israel have been under a ceasefire and hostage agreement. That deal was meant to be implemented in three phases. However, the first phase is set to expire on Saturday with no plans for moving onto phase two.

Negotiations about advancing the deal into phase two were scheduled to begin weeks ago but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delayed Israeli participation in the talks. Now, Washington and Tel Aviv are seeking to extend the first phase of the deal for six weeks. Hamas said it rejected the proposal Israel put forward to extend phase one.

Over the first six weeks of the deal, Hamas has complained that Tel Aviv is not upholding its commitment to allow aid into the Strip, a claim backed by Israeli officials speaking with the New York Times.

On Saturday, Palestinian sources reported that Israel was committing significant ceasefire violations by opening heavy fire near Rafah and Khan Younis. Saturday also marks the start of the Muslim holy month Ramadan.

Kyle Anzalone is the opinion editor of Antiwar.com and news editor of the Libertarian Institute. He hosts The Kyle Anzalone Show and is co-host of Conflicts of Interest with Connor Freeman.