Thousands of Palestinians have disappeared in the Gaza Strip during Israel's ongoing war, with no bodies to bury or remains to mourn. For Yasmin Mahani, the search for her missing son Saad is still ongoing, despite a grueling 10-day hunt through the rubble of al-Tabin school, where the family had sought refuge.
Since October 2023, Gaza's Civil Defence teams have documented 2,842 Palestinians who have vanished without leaving behind any trace. The victims were left with nothing but blood-stained walls and tiny fragments of flesh as a grim reminder of their fate.
According to experts and witnesses, these disappearances are attributed to Israel's use of internationally prohibited thermal and thermobaric weapons that can generate temperatures exceeding 3,500 degrees Celsius.
These so-called vacuum or aerosol bombs disperse a cloud of fuel that ignites to create an enormous fireball and a vacuum effect. In the presence of massive pressure and oxidation, water in the human body instantly boils at such extreme heat, causing tissues to vaporise and turn to ash.
Researchers have identified specific US-manufactured munitions used in Gaza linked to these disappearances, including the MK-84 'Hammer' bomb that can generate heat up to 3,500 degrees Celsius. Other high-tech bombs like the GBU-39 precision glide bomb also came under scrutiny for their role in incinerating buildings and destroying everything inside.
Legal experts say this is not just an Israeli problem but a global one as the supply chain of these weapons implicates Western suppliers too. The International Court of Justice issued provisional measures against Israel, ordering it to prevent acts of genocide, while an arrest warrant was issued against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in November 2024.
However, many say international justice has failed Gaza, pointing out that more than 600 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire agreement in October and a blockade on medicine and food is itself a crime against humanity. Rafiq Badran lost four of his children during the war who vanished without leaving behind any parts of their bodies to bury.
These grim forensic accounting results paint an unflinching picture of the devastating consequences of Israel's actions.
Since October 2023, Gaza's Civil Defence teams have documented 2,842 Palestinians who have vanished without leaving behind any trace. The victims were left with nothing but blood-stained walls and tiny fragments of flesh as a grim reminder of their fate.
According to experts and witnesses, these disappearances are attributed to Israel's use of internationally prohibited thermal and thermobaric weapons that can generate temperatures exceeding 3,500 degrees Celsius.
These so-called vacuum or aerosol bombs disperse a cloud of fuel that ignites to create an enormous fireball and a vacuum effect. In the presence of massive pressure and oxidation, water in the human body instantly boils at such extreme heat, causing tissues to vaporise and turn to ash.
Researchers have identified specific US-manufactured munitions used in Gaza linked to these disappearances, including the MK-84 'Hammer' bomb that can generate heat up to 3,500 degrees Celsius. Other high-tech bombs like the GBU-39 precision glide bomb also came under scrutiny for their role in incinerating buildings and destroying everything inside.
Legal experts say this is not just an Israeli problem but a global one as the supply chain of these weapons implicates Western suppliers too. The International Court of Justice issued provisional measures against Israel, ordering it to prevent acts of genocide, while an arrest warrant was issued against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in November 2024.
However, many say international justice has failed Gaza, pointing out that more than 600 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire agreement in October and a blockade on medicine and food is itself a crime against humanity. Rafiq Badran lost four of his children during the war who vanished without leaving behind any parts of their bodies to bury.
These grim forensic accounting results paint an unflinching picture of the devastating consequences of Israel's actions.
it's like they just vanished into thin air... no bodies, no remains, just blood-stained walls and ashes. my heart goes out to families like Yasmin Mahani who are still searching for their loved ones. this is not just a human tragedy, but also a global issue with supply chains that implicates western countries too 
. if international justice has failed gaza, it's time we reevaluate our priorities and stand up for what's right... or else we'll be facing another holocaust-style disaster 
This is just heartbreaking! I can barely imagine what the families of these missing Palestinians are going through. The fact that there are no bodies to bury or remains to mourn is just too much to handle 
. I'm so frustrated with how the international community has responded (or not responded) to this crisis. It's like Israel gets a slap on the wrist and everyone else turns a blind eye 
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. I mean, can you even imagine what it must be like to witness such atrocities firsthand? The fact that they're being used in a war zone makes it even more despicable. And now, we're hearing about the vacuum bombs and precision glide bombs... it's just a never-ending nightmare 
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. And let's not forget the blockade on medicine and food – that's a crime against humanity, plain and simple 
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I'm literally shaking right now reading about these innocent people disappearing in Gaza... it's like something out of a nightmare 
The fact that these thermal bombs are being used and nobody is held accountable is just not right 
I mean, what kind of world do we live in where we can just drop these deadly munitions on civilians and expect nothing to happen? 
The International Court of Justice trying to take action is about time, but what's the point if international justice is still failing Gaza like this? 
It's not just genocide, it's a crime against humanity, plain and simple 
. i mean, 2,842 ppl have vanished without a trace it's like they just disappeared into thin air... and no one knows what happened to them. it's not just the ppl who've died or been killed, its the fact that their bodies are just gone too 
. This is not just an Israeli problem, it's a global one, and we need to hold everyone accountable 
. It's so sad that international justice hasn't been able to stop this bloodshed yet... what more needs to be done?