How did the bodies of 2,800 martyrs evaporate in Gaza? And what weapon did Israel use?

Al-Barash confirmed in several press statements that as a result of the continuous Israeli bombing with these prohibited weapons, the bodies of entire families disappeared after they were bombed, and the civil defense crews could not find them.

He added that among the weapons used were highly explosive bombs with "terrifying" sounds, and when a person approaches them within 200-300 meters, they evaporate.

At what temperature does the human body evaporate?

There is no scientifically documented answer to this question, but scientifically, the temperature required to cremate a body in a cremation procedure ranges between 800 and 1,000 degrees Celsius. The intense heat inside the industrial furnace known as the cremation chamber decomposes the body, reducing it to its basic chemical components of gases, ash and metal fragments.

Multiple data - we have accessed in preparing this report - indicate that a temperature ranging from 1500 to 3000 degrees Celsius would be sufficient to vaporize the body, especially when combined with extremely high pressure resulting from an explosion.

This means that the vaporization of bodies in the Gaza Strip will be caused by weapons that raise the temperature of the targeted area to more than 1500 degrees Celsius, with great pressure on the body. This brings us to the type of weapon that may lead to the vaporization of bodies, which is the thermobaric or vacuum bomb.

What is a thermal bomb?

A thermobaric bomb (also called a vacuum bomb or fuel-air explosive) is a bomb that consists of a fuel container with two separate explosive charges, according to a report published by the BBC website.

A thermobaric bomb can be launched as a missile or dropped as a bomb from an aircraft. When it hits its target, the first explosive charge opens the container and widely disperses the fuel mixture as a cloud.

This cloud can penetrate any openings or defenses in buildings that are not completely sealed.

A second charge then detonates the cloud, creating a massive fireball, a massive blast wave, and a vacuum that sucks out all the surrounding oxygen. The weapon can destroy buildings and fortified equipment, and kill or injure people.

These weapons are used for a variety of purposes and come in a variety of sizes, including weapons used by individual soldiers such as hand grenades and hand-held rocket launchers.

Large air-launched versions were also designed specifically to kill defenders in caves and tunnel complexes, with the effects being most severe in enclosed spaces.

In 2003, the United States tested a 9,800 kg bomb, nicknamed the “Mother of All Bombs.” Four years later, Russia developed a similar device, the “Father of All Bombs.” This device produced an explosion equivalent to a conventional 44-ton bomb, making it the largest non-nuclear explosive device in the world.

Due to their destructive effect, and their effectiveness against people hiding in buildings or bunkers, thermobaric bombs are used primarily in urban environments (such as in the Gaza Strip).

In a statement published on April 30, 2024, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor called for “an international investigation to examine the possibility that Israel is using internationally banned weapons, including thermobaric bombs, which first use small conventional explosives to create a cloud of highly flammable particles or droplets. A second explosive device then ignites the cloud of flammable material, producing extremely high temperatures of up to 2,500 degrees Celsius, causing severe burns to the skin and internal body parts, and burning bodies to the point of complete melting or vaporization, especially in areas where the explosion cloud is densest.”

Gastrointestinal damage occurs when the pressure waves from the bomb pass through the trapped gas pockets in the intestines. Bruising occurs in mild cases, but in severe cases, the intestine may be perforated.

central nervous system

The main injury to the central nervous system from the initial blast is cerebral arterial gas embolism and this can be fatal.

Source: Al Jazeera + websites + agencies