US Representative Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has refused to clear a proposed $2.8 billion arms sale to Israel, citing concerns that thousands of powerful bombs could be used in densely populated areas of Gaza and Lebanon.

The proposed package includes 40,000 2,000-pound (900kg) bombs, among the most destructive conventional munitions in the US arsenal, according to US officials and congressional sources. The planned transfer includes 20,000 MK-84 bombs and 20,000 BLU-117 bombs.

Meeks, a New York Democrat and ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the Trump administration had failed to provide sufficient assurances that the weapons would be used in accordance with US and international law and with adequate safeguards for civilians.

“The Trump administration has not provided sufficient assurances that these weapons will be used by the Netanyahu government in accordance with U.S. law and with appropriate protections for civilians,” Meeks said in a statement.

He said the proposed transfer raised “grave, unresolved concerns” about how such weapons could be used in densely populated areas of Gaza and Lebanon.

The proposed sale has drawn particular attention because 2,000-pound bombs have previously been used extensively in Israel's military operations. The Biden administration had paused the delivery of some such bombs in 2024 over concerns about the potential for mass civilian casualties in Gaza.

The issue is especially significant in Gaza, where Israel's military campaign has caused widespread destruction and killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, according to Palestinian health authorities. The conflict has also left much of the territory's civilian infrastructure devastated, with homes, hospitals and other essential facilities severely damaged or destroyed.

Humanitarian and rights concerns have repeatedly focused on the use of heavy explosive weapons in densely populated areas, where the effects of large bombs can extend well beyond their intended targets.

Meeks stressed that his decision did not represent a rejection of Israel's security needs. Instead, he said it reflected Congress's responsibility to ensure that US-funded weapons are used lawfully and with meaningful protections for human life.

However, Meeks' decision alone does not have the power to permanently block the proposed sale. Under the US arms-sale process, the administration can seek to bypass the normal congressional review mechanism by invoking emergency national-security powers. The Trump administration has previously used such authority to expedite weapons transfers to Israel.

The proposed deal comes as Washington continues to provide substantial military support to Israel despite growing international scrutiny over the humanitarian consequences of its operations in Gaza.

The sale has therefore intensified debate in Washington over the extent to which US military assistance should be conditioned on protections for Palestinian civilians and compliance with international law.

For Palestinians in Gaza, the potential arrival of tens of thousands of additional heavy bombs has raised renewed fears over the consequences of continued access to high-powered weapons in one of the world's most densely populated and heavily damaged conflict zones. (ILKHA)