DaysofPal – An investigative report aired by Al Jazeera’s program “The Rest of the Story” has revealed field testimonies and official documentation pointing to the disappearance of the bodies of thousands of Palestinians killed in Gaza. The investigation links these cases to the use of weapons with extreme thermal and pressure effects deployed by the Israeli army.
According to the investigation, titled “The Vaporized,” reports from Gaza’s Civil Defense, along with testimonies from paramedics and families, document the disappearance of more than 2,842 victims whose bodies could not be recovered. In many locations, responders found only limited biological traces, without intact remains.
The report indicates that the strikes involved weapons producing intense heat and massive pressure, capable of reaching temperatures estimated at up to 3,500 degrees Celsius. Experts cited in the investigation explained that such conditions can cause bodily fluids to evaporate and human tissue to disintegrate, leaving little physical evidence.
Human testimonies featured in the report highlight the scale of the tragedy. Rafeeq Badran described losing his four children during a powerful strike that destroyed dozens of homes, stating that no identifiable remains were found.
Another testimony came from Yasmin, the mother of Saad, who recounted searching hospitals, morgues, and mosques after a strike on the Al-Tabi’in School in Gaza City before learning that her son’s body had completely disappeared.
Gaza’s Civil Defense spokesperson, Major Mahmoud Basal, confirmed that rescue teams repeatedly encountered situations where fewer bodies were recovered than the number of people known to have been inside targeted buildings. He said this pattern led responders to conclude that some bodies had vanished entirely, a phenomenon he described as unprecedented in their field experience before the current war.
The investigation also included technical assessments from weapons experts, including Yousry Abu Shadi, a former senior inspector at the International Atomic Energy Agency. Abu Shadi explained that weapons combining extreme heat with high pressure can destroy human cells entirely. He noted that similar cases were documented during the US assault on Fallujah in Iraq in 2004 and 2005, where bodies were either severely burned or completely absent following strikes.
Abu Shadi stressed that incidents in Iraq were later subjected to international scrutiny, adding that the recurrence of similar patterns in Gaza strengthens allegations of the use of internationally prohibited weapons and provides grounds for legal accountability on war crimes charges.
Dr. Munir al-Bursh, Director General of Gaza’s Ministry of Health, stated that the human body consists largely of water, which makes it highly vulnerable to extreme heat, pressure, and oxidation, potentially leading to total physical disintegration under such conditions.
The investigation identified several types of munitions suspected of being used, including US-made bombs such as the MK-84 and BLU-109, along with precision-guided GBU-39 bombs and Hellfire missiles. According to the report, these weapons are capable of producing high-temperature explosions within enclosed spaces, causing severe human loss while leaving limited visible structural damage.
Scientific studies referenced in the investigation, including research published on ScienceDirect, indicate that thermobaric weapons can be several times more destructive than conventional explosives. These weapons operate through successive phases involving extreme heat, intense pressure waves, and expanding fireballs that spread through enclosed areas.
From a legal perspective, the investigation raised serious concerns about violations of international humanitarian law, particularly the principles of distinction and proportionality, when such weapons are used in densely populated civilian areas.
Although Israel officially denies using prohibited weapons, international organizations, including Amnesty International, have previously documented the use of certain high-impact munitions in Gaza.
The investigation questioned how repeated cases of vanished bodies can be explained without the use of such weapons, and why accountability remains absent for crimes that deny victims even the right to burial.
Earlier this year, Gaza Civil Defense Chief Brigadier Raed al-Dahshan stated that approximately 10,000 bodies remain trapped under rubble, noting that restrictions on the entry of heavy equipment continue to prevent recovery efforts.
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