Large bomb craters and a piece of shrapnel from an Israeli airstrike on a refugee camp Tuesday morning are clear evidence that Israel used a 2,000-pound bomb, according to three weapons experts.
The United States has previously warned Israel that high-powered munitions could cause excessive civilian casualties in the densely populated Gaza Strip, and Suspends Export of US-Made 2,000-Pound Bombs to Israel earlier this year.
Israel said it carried out “precision strikes” against Hamas militants, but has so far refused to say what type of bomb was used. At least 19 people were killed in the blasts and more than 60 were wounded, Gaza authorities said, with the toll likely to rise. Gaza health officials do not distinguish between civilians and militants when reporting casualties.
Video taken after the attack and verified by The New York Times shows two giant bomb craters nearly 50 feet wide. Satellite imagery taken on Monday showed no craters at the site, confirming they were new.
One of the weapons experts — Chris Cobb-Smith, a former British Army artillery officer and director of Chiron Resources, a security and logistics agency — told The Times that the size of the bomb craters was essentially consistent with their use. 2,000 pounds of ammunition.
“The size of the crater suggests that this attack most likely involved the use of a 2,000-pound air-dropped bomb by the Israel Defense Forces,” Mr. Cobb-Smith said.
A second expert, Trevor Ball, a former US Army explosive ordnance disposal technician, has been determined A piece of the weapon found at the scene was the “tail section of a SPICE-2000 kit,” a precision guidance kit used with 2,000-pound bombs.
A third expert, Patrick Senft, at consultancy Armament Research Services, also said that “a fragment The images are consistent with the tail section of a SPICE 2000 guidance device, indicating that at least one 2,000-pound bomb was used.” He noted that the large craters also indicate the use of a heavy bomb.
Satellite imagery before the attack
The tent is missing in
image of
consequence
Satellite imagery before the attack
The tent is missing in
image of
consequence
In its campaign in Gaza, Israel has 2,000 pound bombs are commonly usedshattered into razor sharp pieces can kill or incapacitate a person over several hundred feet.
When Washington has suspended exports of 2,000-pound U.S.-made bombs in May, officials said their use could result in large civilian casualties and was unnecessary for Israelis. Biden administration officials said at the time they were particularly concerned about the damage such bombs could cause in a crowded area with many displaced civilians.
Mr. Cobb-Smith underscored that concern, saying, “Such bombs have the technological capability to be highly accurate, but I consider the use of such munitions in a densely populated and designated ‘safe zone’ area to be disproportionate.”
The targeted area in Khan Younis is part of a humanitarian zone that Gaza residents have been instructed to move to. Satellite imagery reviewed by The Times shows that temporary structures, including tents, began filling the area starting in February and expanded throughout the year, especially after Evacuation order in southern city of Rafah in May.
Images taken by witnesses and local journalists posted online Tuesday morning and verified by The New York Times show a devastating scene as rescue workers and other residents used shovel And their hands to attempt to search for bodies in and around the crater.
Other videos, also verified by The Times, show furniture, clothing and other household items scattered across a large area, and a car almost completely submerged in sand. What appears to be a greenhouse next to the attack was largely destroyed.
In satellite imagery taken about a day before the attack, about a dozen tents and other temporary structures can be seen in the area that was directly hit. They were destroyed in the attack, as were dozens of other tents around the area, and are no longer visible in photos and videos of the aftermath.
The area has previously been hit by Israeli airstrikes, including a similar attack use 2,000 pound bomb in July targeted a senior Hamas commander, Mohammed Deif, less than two miles away.
