Islam Times - Most Fatal Weapons Washington Provides to Tel Aviv in Gaza War

Islam Times - The Israeli massacre of tens of Palestinian refugees who had taken shelter at Tabeen school in Gaza City has substantially outraged the public across the world.

Meanwhile, the White House is shedding crocodile tears to clear itself of involvement in this Israeli brutality while over the past 10 months it has been an accomplice to the Israeli genocide against the Palestinian with its delivery of weapons and bombs.

Fatal American weapons in Gaza war

Though since the establishment of Israeli regime the US has been providing $3.8 billion in arms to the Israeli army annually, amid Gaza war these military aids have sharply increased.

Since October 7, Washington has sent 100 arms shipments to the occupied territories. The most important weapons delivered by the Americans were defense systems, guided munitions, artillery shells, tank shells and light weapons.

Since the start of the war in Gaza, the Biden administration has delivered to Israel at least 14,000 2,000-pound MK-84 bombs, 6,500 500-pound bombs, 3,000 Hellfire air-to-ground missiles, and 1,000 bunker boosters, according to two US officials.

The most dangerous weapons sent to Israel are the 2000-pound bombs that the Israelis have used frequently in deadly strikes on Gaza. According to the US Army office that manages the Pentagon's munitions, the primary purposes of the 2,000-pound bombs are to destroy "buildings, railroad yards and lines of communication." About 40 percent of the weight of each of these bombs consists of a strong explosive mixture, and the rest is related to its steel body.

When these bombs detonate, the flat shell of the bomb explodes into shards capable of shattering human bodies and unarmored vehicles alike. A 2,000-pound bomb can tear through thick concrete and metal and create a large blast radius.

A senior US military official said that in the first two weeks of the Gaza war, 90 percent of the munitions used by Israel were 1,000- to 2,000-pound satellite-guided bombs, and the rest were smaller 250-pound bombs.

According to reports, in its attack on Al-Moamadani Hospital in the early days of Gaza war that left over 1,000 people dead and injured, Israel used 2,000-pound bombs. In recent days, the occupation army used the American GBU-39 bombs in the attack on Tabaeen school, during which 100 Palestinians were massacred. The GBU-39 is a 250-pound guided bomb designed to carry a larger number of smaller bombs.

Analysts believe that although the smaller bombs have less explosive power than the 2,000-pound bombs, they can still cause significant injury and death, especially in areas with little protection, such as the refugee tent camps that have been hit several times by the Israeli military in Rafah in recent weeks.

The 250-pound bombs have increasingly become the Israeli military's weapon of choice, and two of them were used in a deadly attack on a tent camp in Rafah in May, which Gaza health officials reported killed dozens of people.

On the other hand, in December, the Biden government agreed to the sale of nearly 14,000 tank rounds and its equipment to the Israeli regime worth more than $106 million, and the sale of 155 mm artillery rounds and related equipment worth $147 million.

Political observers have said that many of the weapons used in Gaza include 450- or 900-kilogram bombs, such as the Mark 84 bombs.

Washington has sent $6.5 billion in military aid to Israel since Oct. 7, a senior US official said in March. In May, the US Congress approved a $17 billion aid bill to Tel Aviv, opening Biden administration's hands to strengthen Israel militarily in its genocidal war on Gaza.

Also, the US government approved the shipment of 1,800 MK84 unguided bombs and 500 MK82 unguided bombs in March.

It is said that the MK84 bombs that the Israelis dropped on Gaza with a weight of about 900 kg and devastating damages played an important role in civilian casualties. Their temperature reportedly reaches 7,000 degrees and have high destructive power.

Also, the 220 kg MK82 bombs were among the American aid to the Israeli occupation, because these bombs are unguided, they are dropped indiscriminately and have played a greater role in killing civilians.

According to the Responsible Statecraft institute, as of October 2023, the White House has signed off on 599 foreign military sales to Israel worth $23.8 billion. Priority initiatives include F-35 fighter jets, CH-53K heavy lift helicopters, KC-46A aerial refueling tankers, and precision-guided munitions.

Additionally, the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD) made a list of news reports and official information available about weapons delivered to the Israeli regime a few months ago.

Its reports suggest that the weapons provided include air defense systems, precision-guided munitions, artillery shells, tank shells, small arms, Hellfire missiles used by drones, 30 mm cannon ammunition, PVS-14 night vision devices and man-portable rocket launchers.

According to the Breaking Defense website, to steer clear of any problems in intercepting Hezbollah and Hamas missiles, the Pentagon leased to Israel the two Iron Dome anti-missile batteries that this regime had earlier sold to Washington.

While the Americans provide details and the amount of military aid sent to Ukraine, they reveal few details about the type of weapons and ammunition delivered to Tel Aviv.

Sending F-35s

In addition to bombs and missiles, the US also sent new fighter jets to its ally. According to a report by the Washington Post, in March, the US administration approved sale of 25 F-35 and fighter jet engines to Israel. Since this action was based on congressional approval of the $2.5 billion sale based on a bill passed in 2008, the State Department did not notify the public or Congress this time.

Though the US officials say that their arms are not used for massacre of the civilians in Gaza and they investigate violations, what is certain is that a majority of the fatal weapons used in Gaza war are American-made, and they take more victims for their high destruction power.

While the US officials have not announced a timetable for delivery of these fatal shipments, figures show that despite the international calls for limiting weapons provision and the US administration's promise to halt delivery of heavy bombs to Israeli military, there has been no significant reduction in US military support for Tel Aviv.