Israel Used US-Made Bombs in Rafah Tent Camp Massacre

Investigations found GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs were used

Investigations from CNN and The New York Times found that the bombs Israel dropped on a tent camp in Rafah on Sunday were made in the US.

Weapons experts examined debris that was filmed at the scene of the strike and identified it as a GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb, a munition manufactured inside the US by Boeing.

The Israeli military said it used two munitions that had small warheads, each packed with 17 kilos of explosives, which is the traditional payload of a GBU-39. The GBU-39 is designed for precise targeting, but weapons experts say there’s always a risk of mass casualties when dropping the bomb on such densely populated areas.

At least 45 displaced Palestinians were killed in the massacre, including 12 women, eight children, and three elderly people. Despite claiming to oppose a major attack on Rafah, the Biden administration has made clear that the tent camp bombing won’t impact US support for Israel.

US officials are also claiming ignorance about whether or not a US-provided bomb was dropped on the camp. When asked about the possibility, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby deferred to the Israeli military.

“I can only point you to what the IDF said therefore I cannot confirm whether or not it was a GBU 39 that delivered the payload on that bomb. You’d have to really talk to the IDF about that,” Kirby said.

Footage of the aftermath of the Israeli strike that surfaced online showed large fires in the camp and severely burned corpses being pulled out. One video showed a man holding the body of a headless child. Kirby was asked on Tuesday how many charred bodies it would take for Biden to reconsider his policy and said he was offended by the question.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.