- Reuters reported that the United States has sent at least 14,000 2,000 pound bombs to Israel since October 7.
- The highly destructive 2,000-pound bomb was used to devastating effect in Israel’s attacks on Gaza.
- U.S. military aid to Israel has totaled $6.5 billion since the start of the war with Hamas, U.S. officials said.
The United States has shipped at least 14,000 MK-84 2,000-pound bombs to Israel since the start of the Gaza war in October, Reuters reported, citing two U.S. officials briefed on the latest shipment list.
The MK-84 is one of Israel’s largest and most destructive bombs; a New York Times investigation last year found that Israel “routinely” used bombs of that size in areas it had declared safe for civilians during the first six weeks of the war.
The Joint Program Executive Office’s Ordnance and Munition Directorate said the MK-84 bomb, used extensively by the U.S. in the 1990-1991 Gulf War, has an explosive and fragmentation mechanism that makes it ideal for attacks on “buildings, railroad yards and communication lines.”
The US previously suspended shipments of the 2,000-pound bomb over concerns about its impact on populated areas of the Gaza Strip, and munitions experts said the US military is unlikely to drop such a large bomb on populated areas again, according to the Times.
“The use of 2,000-pound bombs in densely populated areas like Gaza means it will take communities decades to recover,” John Chappell, legal and policy counsel for the Civil Center on Conflict, previously told CNN.
U.S. Support for Israel
Both officials told Reuters that the United States has shipped 6,500 500-pound bombs, 3,000 Hellfire missiles and other munitions to Israel since October 7.
Tom Karako, a weapons expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), told the station that this was a clear “demonstration of significant U.S. support for its Israeli ally.”
He added that these are the types of weapons Israel would use against Hamas or in combat with Hezbollah.
The full extent of U.S. arms exports to Israel is unclear, but a senior Biden administration official recently confirmed that the United States has provided $6.5 billion in security assistance since October 7.
With the Palestinian death toll now exceed 37,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, scrutiny of the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) actions has increased, and President Biden has suspended shipments of bombs to Israel over concerns they might be used in attacks on Rafah without a plan for civilians.
But President Biden has not taken any further steps on the terms of military aid deliveries, and Reuters’ latest shipping details show that there appears to have been little cut in the amount being delivered to Israel.
Domestically, Biden’s support for Israel has become a contentious issue, especially among younger voters.
Business Insider reported in May that Biden’s reelection campaign was struggling to garner support from critics of his support for Israel.
Despite the continuing aid deliveries, tensions have also risen between Israel and the United States, with Biden recently saying Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has “every reason” to believe he is prolonging the war in Gaza in order to stay in power.
Business Insider has reached out to the IDF and the Ministry of Defense for comment.
