Israel's Choice of Weapons in Gaza Tent Fire Raises Questions Among Experts

Israeli Airstrike in Gaza Raises Questions About Use of US-Made BombsDefence experts are questioning why Israel did not use smaller, more precise weapons during an airstrike that ignited a deadly fire in a camp for displaced Palestinians. The experts, who have reviewed debris images from the attack, believe that the bombs used were likely US-made. The strike, which targeted Hamas operatives, resulted in the deaths of as many as 45 people who were sheltering in a temporary displacement camp near the southern Gaza city of Rafah. The incident has drawn international condemnation.Israel has stated that the Hamas targets were 1.7 kilometres away from a declared humanitarian zone and that its review prior to the strike determined no expected harm to civilians. However, displaced civilians were scattered throughout the area, and Israel had not ordered evacuations. This meant that even if the burned tents were not inside the marked humanitarian zone, the civilians there believed it was safe.The Israeli military released footage that appears to show people walking next to the targeted buildings before the blast. The footage also shows tents nearby. Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, an Israel Defence Forces spokesman, has emphasized that the country chose the smallest munition its jets could carry — with 17 kilograms of explosive material each — and that an unintended secondary explosion may have caused the fire. However, defence experts argue that even the smallest jet-launched munition may be too big when civilians are nearby due to how they explode and send fragments far.Images posted on social media from the tent camp show a CAGE code, a unique identifier assigned to US government suppliers, on pieces of the exploded weapons. Based on these images and satellite photos of the debris field, defence experts believe that the bombs used were likely US-made 250-pound (113-kilogram) GBU-39 small-diameter bombs. These bombs can create a wide swath of damage, with fragments traveling as far as 2,000 feet (600 metres).Trevor Ball, a former Army explosive ordnance demolition technician, expressed concern about the use of these bombs in densely packed areas. He stated that the bombs' fragments can travel 600 metres, which contradicts the goal of limiting casualties. Ball and Mark Cancian, a retired Marine Corps Reserves colonel and senior adviser to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, noted that it is unusual to describe a bomb by its explosive load instead of its total weight. They also pointed out that the debris field in Gaza suggests that the bombs may have been set to detonate before impact, risking unintended deaths.Secretary of State Antony Blinken has stated that the US is waiting for an investigation to determine what weapons were used and how they were deployed. He acknowledged that even limited, focused, targeted attacks can have unintended consequences. Defence experts argue that Israel had better options than the GBU-39 when civilians were nearby. They suggest that Israel could have used smaller and more precise weapons, such as drones or the mini-Spike anti-personnel weapon.The US has withheld a shipment of larger 2,000-pound (900-kilogram) bombs from Israel out of concern that they would be used in the Rafah operation. The recent airstrike in Rafah has shown that even the smaller 250-pound bombs provided by the US can be too large for use near densely packed refugee areas.The White House is still gathering information from Israel about the deadly strike in Rafah. While Israeli public comments indicate a desire for more deliberate and precise targeting, questions remain about the use of US-made bombs in civilian-populated areas.In conclusion, the recent Israeli airstrike in Gaza has raised concerns about the use of US-made bombs and their impact on civilians. Defence experts argue that smaller and more precise weapons could have been used instead. The incident highlights the need for careful consideration when conducting airstrikes in densely populated areas. The investigation into the attack will provide further insights into the weapons used and their deployment.