Al Jazeera Investigation Alleges Israel Used US-Supplied “Evaporating” Weapons in Gaza
A new report claims thermal munitions burning at 3,500°C have left no trace of thousands of Palestinian victims, raising legal questions over weapon supply chains.
February 10, 2026 – A new investigation by Al Jazeera Arabic alleges that Israel’s military has used U.S.-supplied thermal and thermobaric weapons in Gaza capable of generating extreme heat, leading to the complete incineration and disappearance of nearly 3,000 Palestinians, leaving no bodies to recover or bury.
The investigation, aired on Al Jazeera’s The Rest of the Story, details what it calls a “grim forensic accounting” by Gaza’s Civil Defence, which has documented 2,842 cases of Palestinians who have “evaporated” since the war began in October 2023. Officials say these individuals left behind only biological traces like blood spray or tiny flesh fragments, with no intact remains.
The Alleged Weaponry and “Chemistry of Erasure”
The report focuses on the effects of specific munitions, which military experts say can create temperatures between 2,500° and 3,500° Celsius (4,532° – 6,332° Fahrenheit).
“When a body is exposed to energy exceeding 3,000 degrees combined with massive pressure and oxidation, the fluids boil instantly. The tissues vaporise and turn to ash. It is chemically inevitable.” — Dr. Munir al-Bursh, Director General of the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza
The investigation identifies three U.S.-manufactured bombs allegedly linked to these effects:
- MK-84 ‘Hammer’: A 2,000-pound unguided bomb packed with tritonal (TNT and aluminium powder), cited as a key source of extreme heat.
- BLU-109 Bunker Buster: Used in an attack on the declared “safe zone” of al-Mawasi in September 2024, allegedly “evaporating” 22 people by creating a fireball inside enclosed spaces.
- GBU-39 Precision Glide Bomb: Cited in an attack on al-Tabin school; designed to destroy contents inside a structure while keeping its shell intact via pressure and thermal waves.
*Infographic from the Al Jazeera investigation detailing the MK-84 bomb. (Source: Al Jazeera)*
Legal Implications and Allegations of Complicity
The report escalates accusations beyond the battlefield, arguing that the supply of such weapons makes external parties complicit.
“This is a global genocide, not just an Israeli one… We see a continuous flow of these weapons from the United States and Europe. They know these weapons do not distinguish between a fighter and a child, yet they continue to send them.” — Diana Buttu, lawyer and lecturer at Georgetown University
Legal experts in the feature argue that using indiscriminate weapons in densely populated areas constitutes a war crime. They point to a “collapse of international justice,” citing the continued war despite International Court of Justice measures and an ICC arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Human Toll: “Not Even a Body to Bury”
The investigation grounds its technical analysis in personal tragedy. It recounts the story of Yasmin Mahani, who searched for her son, Saad, after a strike on al-Tabin school in August 2024.
“I went into the mosque and found myself stepping on flesh and blood… We found nothing of Saad. Not even a body to bury. That was the hardest part.” — Yasmin Mahani
For families like that of Rafiq Badran, who lost four children in the Bureij camp, the technical explanations offer little solace. “Four of my children just evaporated,” he said. “Where did they go?”
Official Responses and Context
As of publication, there has been no immediate public response from the Israeli military or the U.S. Department of Defense to the specific claims in the Al Jazeera report. The use of U.S.-supplied weapons by Israel in Gaza has been a long-standing point of international controversy and diplomatic tension.
The investigation adds a new, horrific dimension to the documented toll of the war, which according to Palestinian health authorities has killed more than 72,000 people. It raises profound forensic, legal, and moral questions about the conduct of the war and the accountability of weapons suppliers.
Sources: Al Jazeera Arabic investigation The Rest of the Story, Gaza Civil Defence, Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, featured military and legal experts.
