Khaberni - In a shocking investigation, the program "For the Story Continues" revealed field testimonies and official reports that document the vaporization of the bodies of thousands of martyrs in Gaza, as a result of the Israeli occupying army using internationally banned weapons with devastating thermal and vacuum effects.
According to the investigation "The Vaporized," which aired on Al Jazeera on Monday evening; civilian defense reports in Gaza and testimonies from paramedics and residents documented the vaporization of the bodies of more than 2,842 martyrs, leaving no trace except for blood spatter and minor human remains at the targeted sites.
Data indicates that these strikes were carried out using vacuum and enhanced spread thermal explosives, generating heat that could reach up to 3500 degrees Celsius, and massive pressure that leads to the vaporization of body fluids and turning tissues to ash.
The investigative report conveyed painful human testimonies, including that of citizen Rafiq Badran who spoke about the vaporization of the bodies of his four children during intense bombing that destroyed dozens of homes, noting that he found only "black sand" and scattered remains.
Yasmine, the mother of the martyr Saad, also narrated how she searched for her son's body in hospitals, morgues, and mosques, after a bombardment of the Followers' School in Al-Daraj district, east of Gaza City, before later confirming that he had completely vanished without a trace.
The civil defense in Gaza - through its spokesman Major Mahmoud Basil - confirmed that its teams encountered repeated cases where a specific number of people were reported inside targeted homes, while fewer bodies than documented were recovered, leading to the conclusion that some of the bodies "completely vaporized," a scenario he described as unimaginable in fieldwork before this war.
Vaporization of Bodies
Technically, the investigation presented opinions from experts, including Yousri Abu Shadi, former senior inspector of the International Atomic Energy Agency, who explained that weapons combining extreme heat and high pressure are capable of completely destroying human cells.
According to Abu Shadi, the phenomenon of "body vaporization" is not unprecedented in the history of modern warfare, pointing out that similar events were recorded during the American invasion of Iraq, especially in the battles of Fallujah in 2004 and 2005, where high-impact thermal weapons were used leading to the charring or complete disappearance of victims' bodies at the bombing sites.
The expert emphasized that what happened in Iraq was later subjected to international investigations, stressing that the repetition of the same pattern in Gaza reinforces the hypothesis that the occupying forces used internationally banned weapons, a basis that can legally be pursued to hold responsible those accountable for what are regarded as fully constituted war crimes.
The general director of the Ministry of Health in Gaza, Dr. Munir Al-Barsh, also pointed out that the human body consists of about 80% water, making it highly susceptible to complete vaporization when exposed to severe heat, pressure, and high oxidation.
Internationally Prohibited Weapons
The investigation tracked specific types of ammunition suspected of use, including American-made bombs such as the MK-84 known as "the hammer" and the BLU-109 bunker buster, along with precision-guided bombs such as the (GBU-39), and Hellfire missiles, which are munitions capable of causing high-heat explosions inside enclosed spaces, with relatively limited structural damage but extensive lethality to life.
The investigation also relied on scientific studies published - including one on "Science Direct" - which confirm that vacuum thermal explosives are up to 5 times more powerful than traditional bombs, and operate through three deadly stages: an extreme heat wave followed by violent pressure waves, and then a fireball spreading inside enclosed spaces and burning everything it reaches.
In the legal aspect, the investigation noted that the use of this type of weaponry in densely populated areas raises serious questions about violations of international humanitarian law, particularly the principles of distinction and proportionality.
Despite Israel’s official denial of using banned weapons, international organizations - including Amnesty International - have previously documented the use of some of these munitions in Gaza.
And with the recurring scenes of body disappearance, the investigation questioned, "If no banned weapons were used, then what explains this recurring pattern of disappearing bodies? And why have those responsible for crimes that erase even a person’s right to a burial not been held accountable yet?"
At the beginning of this year, the director of the civil defense device in Gaza Strip, Brigadier General Raed Dahshan, stated that 10,000 Palestinian bodies are still beneath the rubble, confirming that the continued prohibition by the occupation to bring in heavy machinery and equipment prevents their recovery.
In the most recent statistics, the Ministry of Health in Gaza Strip announced on Monday an increase in the number of martyrs of the Israeli genocide war to 72,032, in addition to 171,661 injured, since October 8, 2023.
