TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - An Al Jazeera special investigation has documented the disappearance of at least 2,842 Palestinians in Gaza due to the Israeli genocide in the region since October 2023. The Qatari media outlet, as quoted by Anadolu, linked this phenomenon to the use of high-temperature weaponry capable of evaporating human tissue.
The investigation, titled The Rest of the Story, which aired on Monday, cited data collected by the Gaza Civil Defense team since October 2023.
The February 10, 2026, publication examined forensic data from destroyed areas in Gaza and identified the use of American-made thermal and thermobaric bombs capable of reaching temperatures exceeding 3,500 degrees Celcius—intense heat that essentially disintegrates and evaporates biological material without leaving any remains.
Forensic Documentation of the Disappeared
According to the investigation, the figure of 2,842 Palestinians classified as "evaporated" is based on field documentation rather than mere estimates.
Gaza Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal told Al Jazeera that the rescue team relied on "a method of elimination" at attack sites, comparing the number of people known to be inside targeted buildings with the remains recovered afterward.
"If a family tells us there were five people inside, and we only recover three intact bodies, we only classify the remaining two as ‘evaporated’ after an exhaustive search yields nothing but biological traces," Basal said, citing evidence such as blood splatters or small fragments like scalp skin.
He stressed that this classification was only applied after searches in rubble, hospitals, and morgues failed to produce identifiable remains.
The investigation included testimony from Palestinians searching for missing relatives in the aftermath of Israeli strikes. Yasmin Mahani recalled walking through the ruins of al-Tabin school in Gaza City on the morning of August 10, 2024, searching for her son, Saad, after an Israeli attack.
"I went into the mosque and found myself stepping on flesh and blood," Mahani told Al Jazeera Arabic.
She searched hospitals and morgues for days but found no trace of him. "We found nothing of Saad. Not even a body to bury. That was the hardest part."
Weapons Linked to Extreme Heat
Military experts interviewed in the investigation linked the disappearance of these individuals to Israel's systematic use of thermobaric and thermal weapons, often referred to as "vacuum" or "aerosol" bombs.
Russian military expert Vasily Fatigarov explained that such weapons disperse burning fuel clouds into massive fireballs, generating extreme heat and pressure.
"To prolong the burning time, powders such as aluminum, magnesium, and titanium are added to the chemical mixture," Fatigarov said, adding that this increases explosion temperatures to between 2,500 degrees Celcius and 3,000 degrees Celcius. The investigation also noted similar effects produced by tritonal, a mixture of TNT and aluminum powder used in various U.S.-made bombs.
Identified Ammunition
The report identified several types of ammunition used in Gaza, including U.S.-made MK-84 bombs, bunker-busting BLU-109 bombs, and precision-guided GBU-39 bombs. According to the investigation, the GBU-39 was used in the attack on al-Tabin school.
Fatigarov noted that the GBU-39 is designed to keep a building's structure relatively intact while destroying everything inside through pressure and thermal waves. "It kills via a pressure wave that ruptures lungs and a thermal wave that incinerates soft tissue," he explained.
Basal added that the Civil Defense team recovered fragments corresponding to GBU-39 components at several sites where bodies could not be found.
Furthermore, the investigation revealed that the bunker-busting BLU-109 was used in attacks on al-Mawasi, an area declared a "safe zone" for refugees in September 2024, noting that the bomb killed 22 people.
"It has a steel casing and a delayed fuse, burying itself before detonating a PBXN-109 explosive mix. This creates a large fireball inside enclosed spaces, incinerating everything within reach," the report stated.
The investigation also mentioned the MK-84 "Hammer," an unguided 900-kilogram bomb filled with tritonal that produces heat up to 3,500 degrees Celcius.
Medical Explanation
Dr. Munir al-Bursh, Director-General of the Gaza Ministry of Health, explained the biological impact of such weapons, noting that the human body consists of approximately 80 percent water.
"The boiling point of water is 100 degrees Celsius. When a body is exposed to energy exceeding 3,000 degrees combined with massive pressure and oxidation, the fluids boil instantly. The tissues vaporize and turn to ash. It is chemically inevitable," al-Bursh said.
Legal Implications
Legal experts quoted in the investigation stated that the use of weapons unable to distinguish between civilians and combatants could constitute war crimes under international law. Lawyer Diana Buttu, a lecturer at Georgetown University in Qatar, argued that responsibility may extend beyond Israel.
"This is a global genocide, not just an Israeli one," she said, arguing that the continuous transfer of weapons by foreign suppliers indicates involvement.
"We see a continuous flow of these weapons from the United States and Europe. They know these weapons do not distinguish between a fighter and a child, yet they continue to send them."
She added that international law strictly prohibits the use of weapons incapable of such distinctions.
Questionable Accountability
The investigation noted that these findings emerged despite interim measures ordered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in January 2024, as well as an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in November 2024.
International law professor Tariq Shandab said the international judicial system had "failed the test of Gaza." He stated that the blockade on medicine and food itself is a crime against humanity, adding that cases of universal jurisdiction in foreign courts could offer an alternative legal path if political will exists.
For the affected families, the investigation suggests that legal definitions offer little solace. Rafiq Badran, who lost four of his children in an attack on the Bureij refugee camp, said he was only able to find a few fragments to bury. "Four of my children just evaporated. I looked for them a million times. Not a piece was left. Where did they go?" he told Al Jazeera.
Read: Iran Says US Not Fit to Lead Gaza Board of Peace
Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
