Israel used ‘biggest, most destructive’ bombs in designated safe areas: New York Times

WASHINGTON (AA) – Since Oct. 7, Israel has used one of its “biggest and most destructive” bombs in areas in the Gaza Strip which were designated as safe for civilians, according to a report by The New York Times.

The publication shared an analysis of visual evidence focusing on the use of 2,000-pound bombs in an area of southern Gaza, where Israel had ordered civilians to move for safety.

“While bombs of that size are used by several Western militaries, munitions experts say they are almost never dropped by U.S. forces in densely populated areas anymore,” the NYT said.

The Times said it programmed an artificial intelligence tool to scan satellite imagery of south Gaza for bomb craters, and its reporters manually reviewed the search results, looking for craters measuring roughly 40 feet across or larger.

“Munitions experts say typically only 2,000-pound bombs form craters of that size in Gaza’s light, sandy soil,” it added.

Following the investigation, 208 craters were identified in satellite imagery and drone footage.

“Because of limited satellite imagery and variations in a bomb’s effects, there are likely to have been many cases that were not captured. But the findings reveal that 2,000-pound bombs posed a pervasive threat to civilians seeking safety across south Gaza,” the report said.

Asked about the bomb’s use in south of Gaza, Israeli military spokesman told the NYT that Israel’s priority was destroying Hamas and “questions of this kind will be looked into at a later stage.”

The Israeli military “takes feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm,” the spokesman added.

But the US says Israel should do more to reduce civilian casualties while fighting Hamas.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday said the conflict in Gaza “needs to move” and “will move to a lower intensity phase.” “We expect to see, and want to see, a shift to more targeted operations, with a smaller number of forces that are really focused on dealing with the leadership of Hamas, the tunnel network and a few other different things,” Blinken said.

The Palestinian death toll from Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has soared to more than 20,000 since Oct. 7, with at least 53,320 others injured, the Health Ministry in the blockaded enclave said on Friday.

Nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed on Oct. 7 attacks, while more than 130 remain in captivity after others were freed during a temporary truce last month.