A report indicates that over 3,000 individuals in Gaza have reportedly vanished due to the use of high-temperature thermobaric weapons by the Israeli military, leaving families without the ability to recover their loved ones' bodies.
In a tragic report from Al Jazeera, families in Gaza are reeling from the apparent evaporation of over 3,000 individuals caused by the Israeli military's use of thermobaric weapons during the ongoing Gaza conflict. Yasmin Mahani, a mother grieving for her son Saad, shared her harrowing experience of being unable to find even a trace of his body following the bombing that occurred in August 2024. This horrifying reality underscores the devastating impact of modern warfare on civilian populations.
The Palestinian Civil Defense, affiliated with Hamas, has conducted assessments confirming that a significant number of people cannot be identified even in death, noting that of the 2,842 bodies confirmed found, many yield only bloodstains or body parts. Mahmoud Basal, a spokesperson for the Civil Defense, explained that when families report multiple individuals trapped inside a building, but fewer bodies are recovered, the difference is categorized as 'evaporated.' This method of counting highlights the unimaginable loss and the methods employed in modern aerial warfare.
Experts have raised significant concerns about the legality and morality of using such weapons in urban settings. Notably, the weapons reported, such as the MK-84 'Hammer' and GBU-39, are designed to produce extreme heat, causing unprecedented destruction to both combatants and non-combatants alike. Although these weapons are not explicitly banned under international law, their indiscriminate nature poses a high risk of war crimes, especially against civilian populations. The implications of this conflict and the use of such weaponry by Israel raise important ethical questions about the responsibilities of nations in warfare, involving the international community's response to these tragic events.
