Alwaght- Gaza people are under the heaviest aerial bombardment and attacks from sea and ground as the Israeli war unfolds. The Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant just a couple of days ago admitted that the Israeli air force dropped 10,000 bombs over people of Gaza. Over 10,000 people were killed and more than 25,000 others were injured by the Israeli use of internationally banned weapons against the Gazans.
According to Palestinian Minister of Public Work and Housing Mohamed Ziara, in the Israeli attacks, about 200,000 houses were destroyed, which account for 25 percent of Gaza region. The New York Times in a report confirmed that Israeli army dropped at least two 2,000-pound (900-kilogram) bombs in its bombing of Jabalia refugee camp north of Gaza. This type of bomb is the second-largest bomb in the Israeli arsenal.
A majority of the bombs and weapons the Israelis have used in Gaza are internationally banned. Here are some of them:
1. White Phosphorus
According to a statement released by the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Refugees and the confirmation of the Human Rights Watch, white phosphorus is one of the fatal weapons that the Israeli regime has used against the Palestinian people. Ammunition containing phosphorus is an incendiary weapon that is prohibited for use against civilians and can only be used against military targets according to the 1980 Geneva Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. These weapons may cause damage to the respiratory system and organ failure, and for those who survive the initial infection, the suffering and damage often last for life. Based on verified videos and witness reports, the HRW confirmed that the occupying forces have used white phosphorus many times.
2. JDAM sophisticated bombs
Another type of fatal weapons used against Gaza by the Israeli military is the highly destructive US-made Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) that turn the unguided weapons into guided ones. These weapons are GPS-guided. The CNN reported that in the current Gaza war, Tel Aviv has submitted a request to the US for more JDAMs. These kits have been used many times for airstrikes on targets in Gaza. They consist of guidance devices that are attached to conventional unguided bombs for precision bombing. They come in different versions attached to GBU-31, GBU-32 3, and GBU-38 bombs. Its range reaches 28 kilometers and it is dropped from an altitude of 13.5 kilometers. JDAM-equpped bombs are also used to destroy underground tunnels and their use is prohibited in residential areas.
3. (Thermobaric) Vacuum bombs
Another banned weapon Israelis are using in Gaza is thermobaric or vacuum bomb that uses the oxygen of its environment to create a high-temperature powerful blast and creates a long-time explosive wave compared to ordinary bombs. A vacuum bomb destroys a target from all sides, not just the opposite side, especially underground targets, such as bunkers, warehouses, and tunnels. The most prominent types of vacuum bombs that the Israeli regime operates are BLU-109, BLU-188 and BLU-188B.
The US is a manufacturer of vacuum bombs. The explosion of a vacuum bomb creates high degree of heat and rapid positive pressure from oxygen consumption inside a confined area such as a cave or tunnel. Even if anyone inside these places survives their collapse, they will die of resulting differential pressure. The use of this bomb is also prohibited in residential areas, but Israeli army has repeatedly dropped it on Gaza buildings.
4. Hulper bomb
The Israeli occupation has used American-supplied Hulper bombs that are designed to bust fortifications and tunnels. These bombs are guided with the GPS and are dropped to destroy infrastructure. In Gaza war, 50 BLU-113 and 700 BLU-109 bombs, all from Hulper family, were dropped on Gaza despite being internationally banned.
Unknown fatal weapons
During the visit of Egyptian Health Minister Khaled Abdul Ghafar to the injured Palestinians being treated in Northern Sinai hospitals, it was decided that the Israeli occupation has used “unknown weapons” that can be biological.
A doctor told the Egyptian minister that an injured person is being treated for multiple injuries, including fractures, burns, and shrapnel, explaining that these injures confirm that the civilians are exposed to bombing with internationally banned incendiary and penetrative ammunition.
Palestine’s Health Ministry in October had revealed that the Israeli forces use new weapons in bombing that penetrate the body and cause burns that melt the skin. Their shrapnel causes swelling and poisoning, it added.
Deputy Health Minister in Gaza Yusef Abu Alrish reported that people with burn injury of 80 percent were admitted to hospitals, showing signs of Israeli use of new weapons. The health ministry asserted that medical teams in Gaza found out that the wounded people were suffering from severe burns and melting of skin that had not been seen before, making their treatment difficult.
