Gaza (Monitoring Desk) An explosive investigation by Al Jazeera has alleged that Israel used internationally banned thermal and thermobaric weapons during its ongoing military campaign in Gaza, leading to the disappearance and “evaporation” of thousands of Palestinians.
The investigation, aired on Al Jazeera Arabic’s programme The Rest of the Story, reveals that Gaza’s civil defence teams have documented more than 2,800 cases since October 2023 in which victims completely vanished during Israeli airstrikes, leaving behind no intact bodies.
According to the report, rescue teams often find only small fragments of flesh, traces of blood, or ash at strike sites, raising serious concerns that conventional explosives cannot account for the extreme destruction witnessed.
Experts cited in the investigation suggest the use of thermobaric and thermal weapons, also known as vacuum or aerosol bombs, which create massive pressure waves and generate temperatures exceeding 3,500 degrees Celsius (6,332°F) — hot enough to vaporize human bodies instantly.
For comparison, water boils at just 100°C, highlighting the extraordinary heat produced by these weapons.
The intense thermal effect is often caused by tritonal, a powerful mixture of TNT and aluminum powder commonly used in US-manufactured bombs.
Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for Gaza’s Civil Defence, explained the grim method used to classify victims as “evaporated.”
“Our teams calculate the number of people believed to be inside a building before it was bombed. If a family reports five people inside and we recover only three intact bodies, after a full search finds nothing except blood traces or tiny biological remains, we classify the missing two as evaporated,” he said.
Basal added that this tragic pattern has become increasingly frequent, pointing toward the possible deployment of non-conventional explosives.
Dr. Munir al-Bursh, Director General of Gaza’s Health Ministry, confirmed that such vaporisation is scientifically possible.“When a human body is exposed to extremely high temperatures, it can completely vaporise and turn into ash. This is consistent with what we are witnessing on the ground,” he explained.
The investigation has reignited global debate over Israel’s conduct in Gaza, with legal experts stating that the use of thermobaric weapons in densely populated civilian areas could constitute war crimes under international humanitarian law.
Human rights groups have repeatedly called for independent investigations into Israel’s military operations, warning that the scale of destruction and civilian casualties in Gaza may represent one of the worst humanitarian disasters in modern history.
Despite mounting evidence and international pressure, Israeli authorities have neither confirmed nor denied the use of thermobaric munitions, maintaining that their operations comply with international law.
As civilian casualties continue to rise, the revelations have intensified calls for accountability, ceasefire, and urgent humanitarian intervention in Gaza.