Israel uses weapons that vaporize human bodies in Gaza, says director of Palestinian Health Ministry
Gaza Strip: Dr. Munir Al-Bursh, Director General of the Ministry of Health has accused Israel of using unknown and banned weapons in Gaza to vaporize human bodies and even buildings in residential areas.
In an interview with Al-Jazeera, Al-Bursh stated that in the northern Gaza strip, Israeli forces are using "unknown weapons" that results in the evaporation of human bodies, thereby preventing the local authorities from determining the full scale of destruction.
Al-Bursh stated that Israel's use of such dangerous weapons reveal a new level of destruction in Gaza, which is unlike any other conflict in the history. He demanded an international investigation into the types of weapons used by Israel in Gaza and their effect on the civilians.
Palestinian group Hamas has also called for an international investigation into the potential use of banned weapons by Israel.
Hamas stated that the testimonies given by citizens and doctors in the northern Gaza Strip “strongly indicate that the terrorist occupation army is using internationally prohibited weapons during the brutal extermination campaign that has been ongoing for fifty-three days in the northern Gaza Strip”.
In April this year, the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor called for the establishment of an international committee of experts to look into Israel's potential use of 'thermal weapons' or 'vacuum bombs' on residential areas in Gaza.
"Thousands of victims remain missing, either because it was impossible to recover them from under the debris in light of insufficient equipment and technical know-how, or because their bodies were either hidden by the Israeli army or no longer exist.
A number of victims killed in these horrifying Israeli raids on residential buildings have vanished and may have turned to ashes, raising questions about the type of bombs used in the attacks," the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor stated in its report.
In August this year, Gaza's Civil Defence said at a press conference that the bodies of 1,760 Palestinians had completely vaporized with no remains left.
“We have observed the evaporation of the bodies of 1,760 martyrs due to the (Israeli) occupation’s use of internationally prohibited weapons,” the agency said.
It also reported that around 2,210 bodies have vanished from various cemeteries across Gaza and from areas where the Israeli army is active.
Calling for an immediate investigation into the matter, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor in its report, described the severity of the destruction caused by these weapons.
"An international investigation must be launched into Israel’s probable use of internationally banned weapons, including thermobaric bombs, which operate by first using small conventional explosives to create a cloud of highly flammable particles or droplets.
A second explosive device then ignites the cloud of combustible materials, producing extremely high temperatures of up to 2500 degrees Celsius, which cause severe burning of skin and internal body parts, charring corpses to the point of complete melting or evaporation, particularly in areas where the explosion cloud is denser," the report noted.
"Investigators must determine the precise type(s) of weapon used; preliminary estimates indicate that certain bodies may also have begun to decompose into ash sometime after death—a result of conditions brought on by thermal bombs," it added.
The report also noted that Israel has a "long record of breaking major international humanitarian law, such as by disregarding the principles of protection in armed conflicts, including military necessity, distinction, and proportionality," which is "especially true" when it comes to its recent war on Gaza.
Israel has killed at least 44,382 Palestinians since the beginning of its recent "genocidal" war on Gaza, including more than 17,000 children and 11,400 women. It has also killed more than 190 journalists and over a 1000 healthcare workers in Gaza.
