The Israeli Defense Ministry announced on Sunday that a shipment of approximately 1,800 heavy bombs from the United States, which had previously been delayed under the Biden administration, arrived in Israel overnight.
Shortly after assuming office, President Donald Trump declared that he had lifted the hold imposed by the Biden administration on the delivery of 2,000-pound bombs designated for Israel.
A vessel carrying the MK-84 2,000-pound munitions docked at Ashdod Port, where the cargo was unloaded and transported via numerous trucks to Israeli airbases, according to Defense Minister Israel Katz.
In a statement, Katz welcomed the arrival of the weapons, describing them as a crucial addition to the Air Force and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). He emphasized that the shipment, released under the Trump administration, further solidifies the strong partnership between Israel and the United States.
“I extend my gratitude to President Donald Trump and the U.S. administration for their steadfast support of Israel. We will continue to collaborate to enhance our security,” Katz added.
The Defense Ministry further reported that since the outbreak of the war in October 2023, Israel has received over 76,000 tons of military equipment transported via 678 aircraft and 129 ships, with the majority of supplies originating from the U.S.
The Times of Israel lays out the timeline of weapons delivery over the past 16 months of conflict in Gaza, with two differing U.S. presidential administrations. Triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, the U.S. has provided Israel with billions of dollars in military aid. However, as the war progressed, the Biden administration acknowledged that it had halted expedited arms transfers and instead required all shipments to undergo the standard approval process, similar to those of other nations.
In May, the Biden White House decided to withhold a shipment consisting of 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs. At the time, President Biden warned that additional offensive weapon deliveries could be frozen if Israel proceeded with a large-scale military operation in Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza, where more than one million Palestinians had sought refuge.
By July, the Biden administration had approved the release of the 500-pound bombs after Israeli forces entered Rafah, following the evacuation of most Palestinian civilians from the area. The U.S. government maintained that only the 2,000-pound bombs had been withheld due to concerns they could be used in densely populated zones in Gaza, while other arms shipments continued as usual.
In October, the U.S. issued a warning to Israel, stating that it had one month to take significant measures to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza or risk facing restrictions on future weapons deliveries. However, the threat was not enforced, and by November, the Biden administration acknowledged that while Israel had implemented some of the required actions, it had not fulfilled all of the conditions set by Washington.
