Israel receives shipment of U.S. heavy bombs following delivery ban lift

Israel has received a shipment of heavy MK-84 bombs after the United States recently lifted a temporary ban on their delivery, the Israeli Defense Ministry said on Sunday.

The MK-84 is a 907-kilogram unguided bomb capable of penetrating reinforced targets and causing extensive damage with its strong blast power.

This shipment of munitions arrived at the Israeli port of Ashdod late on Saturday and was "received and unloaded overnight," a spokesperson for the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Video footage released by the ministry showed shipping containers being loaded onto dozens of trucks, to be transported to Israel's Air Force bases.

Former U.S. President Joe Biden's administration had suspended the delivery of MK-84 bombs to Israel over concerns about their potential use and impact in densely populated areas of the Gaza Strip, where Israeli bombings and ground attacks have killed tens of thousands of people since October 2023.

In the same statement, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the latest shipment "represents a significant asset for the Air Force and the IDF (Israel Defense Forces)."

He thanked U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration for lifting the ban and for their "unwavering support" for Israel.

Since the onset of the Gaza war on October 7, 2023, more than 76,000 tonnes of military equipment have arrived in Israel via 678 airlifts and 129 sea shipments, according to statistics from Israel's Defense Ministry.