The Civil Defense in the Gaza Strip said that more than 2,800 martyrs had their bodies vaporized. What is the nature of the weapon that can vaporize the bodies? What are its effects on the victim’s body if it does not kill him immediately?
Civil Defense spokesman in the Gaza Strip, Major Mahmoud Basal, said on Monday: “The number of martyrs whose bodies evaporated and no trace of them was found due to the Israeli bombing reached 2,842 martyrs.”
He confirmed – in a press conference held in the center of Gaza City – that civil defense crews throughout the Strip continue to recover the decomposed bodies of dozens of martyrs, whether under the rubble or left in the streets, and they could not be reached due to the Israeli bombing, the extent of the destruction, and the lack of capabilities, especially in the absence of machinery. Heavy.
He continued, “Our crews in all governorates of the Gaza Strip recovered the bodies of more than 38,000 martyrs and more than 97,000 injured from the places, homes, and buildings that Israel has targeted since the beginning of the war on Gaza on October 7, 2023.”
Major Basal called for allowing Arab and foreign civil defense crews to enter the besieged sector, to help search for the bodies of more than 10,000 martyrs whose bodies are still under the rubble until now.
The Palestinian Information Center said – in a report published at the beginning of December 2024 – that the Israeli occupation used internationally prohibited weapons that lead to the burning of bodies and their evaporation to the point of disappearance.
The center added, “Thousands of martyrs were killed by bombs whose nature is not yet known, but they lead to the bodies melting and vaporizing as a result of the high heat that is emitted when the explosion occurs and turns the bodies located in (the target’s eye) into small atoms that cannot be seen with the naked eye, flying and dissolving in the air and soil.”
The report quoted the Director General of the Ministry of Health in Gaza, Munir Al-Bursh, as saying that the occupation army is using weapons of unknown origin in the northern Gaza Strip, which lead to the evaporation of bodies.
Al-Barsh confirmed in multiple 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 did not find them.
He added that among the weapons used were high-explosive bombs with “terrifying” sounds, and when a person approached them 200-300 meters away, he vaporized.
At what temperature does the human body evaporate?
There is no documented scientific answer to this question, but – scientifically – the temperature required to burn bodies (cremate) in cremation procedures ranges between 800 and 1,000 degrees Celsius. The intense heat inside the industrial furnace known as the cremation chamber disintegrates the body, reducing the body to its basic chemical compounds of gases, ash, and metal fragments.
Multiple data – which we obtained in preparing this report – indicate that a temperature ranging from 1,500 to 3,000 degrees Celsius would be sufficient to vaporize the body, especially when it coincides with very strong pressure resulting from an explosion.
This means that the evaporation of bodies in the Gaza Strip will be caused by weapons that cause the temperature of the targeted area to rise to more than 1,500 degrees Celsius, with great pressure on the body. This leads us to the type of weapon that might lead to the vaporization of bodies, which is a thermal or vacuum bomb.
What is a thermonuclear bomb?
A thermobaric bomb (also called a vacuum bomb or fuel-air explosive) is a bomb consisting of a fuel container containing two separate explosive charges, according to a report published by the BBC website.
The 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 spreads the fuel mixture widely as a cloud.
This cloud can penetrate any openings or defenses in buildings that are not completely sealed.
A second charge then explodes 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 different sizes, including weapons used by individual soldiers such as grenades and hand-held rocket launchers.
Huge versions, launched from the air, were designed specifically to kill defenders in caves and tunnel complexes, and the effects of this weapon are more severe in closed spaces.
In 2003, the United States tested a 9,800 kg bomb, dubbed the “Mother of All Bombs.” Four years later, Russia developed a similar device, the “Father of Bombs.” This device caused an explosion equivalent to a conventional bomb weighing 44 tons, making it the largest non-nuclear explosive device in the world.
Due to their devastating effect, and their effectiveness against people hiding in buildings or bunkers, thermobaric bombs are primarily used 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 of Israel using internationally banned weapons, including thermobaric bombs, which first work by using small conventional explosives to create a cloud of highly flammable particles or droplets. Then A second explosive device ignites the cloud of flammable material, producing extremely high temperatures of up to 2500°C, causing severe burns to the skin and internal body parts, And burning bodies to the point of complete dissolution or vaporization, especially in areas where the explosion cloud is denser.”
The Observatory added, “Investigators must determine the exact type of weapon used; initial estimates indicate that some bodies may also have begun to decompose into ash some time after death, as a result of the conditions caused by the thermal bombs.”
There is also a possibility that the vaporization of the bodies was caused by phosphorus bombs, which Israeli forces reportedly use extensively. These are incendiary weapons that contain white phosphorus as the main payload, and are designed to generate intense heat of approximately one thousand degrees Celsius, in addition to their destructive power.
What are the effects of a thermal bomb on the health of those in the explosion area?
If a person does not die or evaporate in the thermobaric bomb blast area immediately, they are expected to face multiple health repercussions
The heat bomb causes a shock wave and pressure, which disrupts the air spaces in the body, and this mainly affects the pulmonary, cardiovascular, auditory, digestive, and central nervous systems.
Pulmonary system
A thermobaric bomb may rupture the alveoli, which leads to fluid leaking into the lungs, which may cause them to become full.
Other complications of ruptured alveoli are arterial gas embolisms and chest bleeding.
Cardiovascular system
The cardiovascular system may be affected by air embolism in the heart or coronary arteries or by diffuse damage to the heart muscle.
The auditory system
In mild damage, the tympanic membrane ruptures with mild hearing loss. In more severe cases, the membrane can disintegrate and the ossicles can move, requiring surgical intervention. In the worst cases, the inner ear is damaged, resulting in “sensorineural” deafness, crippling pain, nausea, and balance problems.
Digestive system
Gastrointestinal damage occurs when pressure waves from the bomb cross trapped pockets of gas in the intestines. Bruising occurs in mild cases, but in severe cases, intestinal perforation may occur.
Central nervous system
The main injury to the central nervous system from the initial explosion is cerebral arterial gas embolism and this can cause death.