Gaza Strip: At least 2,842 Palestinians have been classified as “evaporated” in Israeli strikes on Gaza since October 7, 2023, according to an investigation by Al Jazeera citing documentation from Gaza’s Civil Defence authorities.
The Al Jazeera programme “The Rest of the Story,” aired on Monday, February 9, analysed field records compiled since the start of the war, alongside testimony from rescue personnel, medical officials and legal experts.
Civil Defence teams said the figure was derived from site-by-site assessments. After each strike, responders documented the number of people believed to have been inside a targeted building and compared it with the bodies recovered.
Where reported occupants exceeded the bodies found, crews carried out prolonged searches in debris and nearby medical facilities. Cases were categorised as “evaporated” only when no intact remains were discovered and evidence was limited to blood traces or minute fragments.
The programme included accounts from families who said they were unable to retrieve any remains of loved ones killed in bombardments, leaving them without the possibility of burial.
Munitions and explosive effects
Experts interviewed in the investigation pointed to weapons capable of generating extreme heat in enclosed spaces. Among those cited were:
- US-made MK-84, a 900-kg bomb containing a powerful explosive mixture
- BLU-109, designed to penetrate reinforced structures before detonation
- GBU-39, a precision-guided munition engineered to concentrate blast effects inside buildings.
Experts said thermobaric systems disperse a combustible cloud before ignition, producing a sustained fireball and powerful pressure wave, with temperatures reported to reach up to 3,500 degrees Celsius.
Former US Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene raised concerns about Washington’s involvement after the findings were published.
“If this is accurate and our country supplied these weapons, then these are horrific war crimes — crimes against humanity,” Greene wrote on X.
“Did our country provide such weapons? When? Most Americans do not want their money funding this or to be associated with these weapons,” she added.
Medical and scientific explanation
Munir al-Bursh, director general of Gaza’s Health Ministry, said the human body’s composition – largely water – makes it highly vulnerable to extreme heat.
He said exposure to very high heat, combined with pressure, can cause bodily fluids to vaporise almost instantly, reducing soft tissue to ash and leaving little recoverable material.
Legal implications and accountability
Legal specialists featured in the programme said the use of weapons that cannot distinguish between civilians and combatants in densely populated areas may violate international humanitarian law.
Diana Buttu, lawyer and lecturer at Georgetown University in Qatar, argued that accountability questions could extend beyond the direct user of such weapons if supplier states continue to make transfers despite evidence of civilian harm.
The broadcast comes despite provisional measures issued in January 2024 by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordering Israel to prevent acts of genocide. In November 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Continuing conflict
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, the overall death toll since the beginning of the war has surpassed 72,000, with vast destruction reported across residential districts and public infrastructure.
