Trump frees up 2,000-pound bombs for Israel after Biden's halt

Stephanie Lai, Bloomberg News on Jan 25, 2025

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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s administration ordered the Pentagon to release a hold on supplying 2,000-pound bombs to Israel imposed by his predecessor Joe Biden, a White House official said.

Under Biden, the U.S. paused delivery of about 3,500 bombs to Israel — including the 2,000-pound explosives — in May in a bid to limit civilian casualties in the densely packed city of Rafah during Israel’s military campaign against Hamas in Gaza.

The move reflected frustration with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s conduct of the war and marked the Biden administration’s most serious sign of displeasure, leading to a fraught moment in U.S.-Israeli relations.

The new administration’s decision, first reported by Axios, is in line with Trump’s pledges on the campaign trail and since assuming the presidency to provide Israel with the resources it says it needs to end the conflict.

“A lot of things that were ordered and paid for by Israel, but have not been sent by Biden, are now on their way!” Trump posted on social media as he returned to Florida from a West Coast visit.

Even so, his patience seemed to wane as early as March, when he called on Israel in an interview with Israel Hayom newspaper “to finish up your war. You have to finish it up, you got to get it done.”

Trump has been in contact with Netanyahu throughout the last year. He and his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, participated in talks to negotiate a ceasefire and hostage deal during the presidential transition from the Biden administration.

While the deal was announced days before Trump’s inauguration, he has been quick to claim credit, including in a statement on Saturday on the latest prisoner swap involving four Israeli soldiers and about 200 Palestinians from Israeli prisons.