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On the evening of Jan. 7 this yr, three 250-pound bombs smashed into an house block within the Al Tuffah neighbourhood of northern Gaza. Footage of the aftermath reveals partitions collapsed, rubble piled up and blackened home goods scattered throughout the scene.
Though a ceasefire has been in impact since October, and a Board of Peace led by US President Donald Trump has been introduced to start section two of that course of, Israel has continued to conduct strikes inside Gaza
The IDF claimed they focused a senior Hamas operative in response to a violation of the ceasefire settlement within the Jan. 7 assault.
Two folks had been reported to have been killed.
Whereas the strike was an Israeli operation, among the many particles had been munition remnants of at the least three US-made GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs, together with one which did not explode.
American-made munitions like these have performed a big position in Israel’s operations in Gaza.
The US has offered billions of {dollars} value of army support to Israel through the years, and has enacted laws offering at the least US$16.3 billion in direct army support since the latest struggle started. Within the first few months of the Trump Administration practically $12 billion in main weapon gross sales to Israel had been authorized with deliveries scheduled to take years to finish.
Nonetheless, human rights teams like Amnesty Worldwide and Human Rights Watch have stated that US-made weapons have been utilized in Gaza in ways in which have doubtless violated worldwide legislation. A number of worldwide media studies have additionally recognized particular person situations of civilian hurt doubtless attributable to US weaponry deployed by Israel in Gaza.
A 2024 State Division report, accomplished in the course of the administration of former President Joe Biden, even said that on account of Israel’s “important reliance on US-made defence articles it’s affordable to evaluate” that they’ve been utilized in “situations inconsistent with its IHL [International Humanitarian Law] obligations or with established finest practices for mitigating civilian hurt” — though Israel says it operates inside worldwide legislation and seeks to mitigate civilian hurt whereas aiming to dismantle Hamas’ army capabilities.
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But the total extent of civilian hurt in Gaza triggered by means of US-produced weapons stays unclear.
Overseas media usually are not allowed into Gaza and the documentation of occasions there has relied closely on social media footage and the work of native journalists, a lot of whom have been killed in Israeli air or floor strikes whereas finishing up their work.
Collating Incidents
Bellingcat has collated scores of incidents just like the Jan. 7 strike in Al Tuffah the place US-produced munitions have been discovered within the aftermath of Israeli strikes.
This evaluation utilises publicly accessible media footage and identifies at the least 79 particular instances, a lot of which triggered loss of life and harm to civilian infrastructure resembling colleges, houses and healthcare infrastructure.
Whereas revealing, it is very important be aware that the info comes with some important caveats and limitations that have to be acknowledged earlier than exploring it.
Gaza has been pummelled for the reason that Hamas assaults of Oct. 7, 2023, when greater than 1,200 Israelis had been killed and a whole bunch extra kidnapped.
In response, Israel is reported to have deployed 30,000 munitions into Gaza within the first seven weeks of the battle alone. The Israeli Airforce has additionally bombed over 100 completely different targets in Gaza in a single day a number of occasions.
This dataset – which particulars instances the place US-made munition remnants have been discovered and proof of their use revealed in media or posted to social media – due to this fact solely captures a small fraction of the general incidents over greater than two years of struggle.
Moreover, Israel and the US each produce a few of the similar munitions, such because the MK-80 sequence of bombs. The US provide of this sequence, particularly the two,000-pound MK-84 of which over 14,000 have reportedly been delivered since Oct. 7 2023, have been central to requires the suspension of US arms transfers to Israel on account of their damaging potential.
However as a result of Israel additionally makes these bombs domestically the nation of origin can’t be definitively recognized with out particular remnants that present both the lot quantity, indicating the producer, or different figuring out info.
Because of this a choice was made to attempt to observe the usage of three particular munitions which can be made solely within the US and which Israel doesn’t domestically produce. This, once more, considerably diminished the variety of incidents analysed.
These munitions had been Hellfire missiles, GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs and Joint Direct Assault Munition (JDAM) bomb steering kits. Whereas this evaluation doesn’t observe MK-80 sequence bombs, the JDAM package is one in all a number of steering kits that may connect to bombs just like the MK-84 however which is simply produced by the US.
The complete dataset will be discovered right here. The munition identifications had been reviewed by Frederic Gras, an unbiased Explosive Remnants of Battle (ERW) Skilled and Advisor.
Regardless of all the above caveats and limitations, the evaluation recorded 79 geolocated incidents the place remnants of those three fashions of US-made munitions had been both discovered within the aftermath of a strike or had been captured in visible imagery within the moments earlier than affect.
Past the 79 instances analysed and included within the dataset, different US-made munitions had been recognized in an extra 26 instances, though it was not attainable to geolocate the remnants or strikes previous to publication. It could be attainable to geolocate the excellent incidents in time. Bellingcat is, due to this fact, together with these incidents within the dataset however notes additional work is required for them.
Most of the geolocations within the dataset had been initially posted publicly by unbiased geolocators, or volunteers from the GeoConfirmed group, together with Anno Nemo, Abu Location, fdov, Chris Osieck, Zvi Adler and Will Cobb. These geolocations had been independently checked and verified by Bellingcat.
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For the 79 incidents it was attainable to geolocate, Bellingcat sought to compile studies of civilian hurt. But given the shortage of entry afforded to worldwide observers it was not attainable to independently confirm every of those studies of casualties or fatalities.
The studies, a lot of which cite well being authorities in Gaza, detailed that at the least 744 folks had been killed in these 79 strikes, together with at the least 78 ladies and 175 kids. When studies provided a spread for the quantity killed, or variety of ladies and youngsters killed, Bellingcat used the decrease finish of the estimate.
Israel not often gives estimates for civilian casualties from their strikes. It has additionally claimed that the Gaza Ministry of Well being has exaggerated loss of life tolls after particular strikes. Analysing earlier public reporting of every incident within the dataset, Bellingcat discovered that the IDF had claimed at the least 69 folks that had been reported killed in these assaults had been militants belonging to Hamas or different factions. In one strike, the place at the least 33 folks had been reported killed, the IDF claimed to have focused “dozens” of Hamas members, releasing the names of 17 folks they stated had been a part of Hamas.
Bellingcat requested the IDF if they might present a complete for the variety of folks killed within the assaults listed within the dataset or for any particular strikes however they didn’t present a determine. A spokesperson for the IDF offered info for eight strikes throughout the dataset that it stated sought to hit “terrorist targets”. Bellingcat has famous this response beside every incident within the dataset.
The spokesperson added that Israel “strikes army targets and targets in accordance with worldwide legislation and takes all possible measures to mitigate hurt to civilians and civilian constructions as a lot as attainable.”
The Gaza Ministry of Well being has reported that over 70,000 Palestinians have been killed within the battle. Whereas Israel has lengthy disputed these casualty figures, Israeli media lately cited nameless Israeli Defence Pressure (IDF) sources who stated they believed them to be largely correct. Israel has claimed to have killed about 25,000 militants in Gaza.
Assaults on Faculties
Assaults on colleges, mosques, shelters and residences are all included within the dataset. In whole, 28 strikes on colleges utilizing US made munitions had been recognized. GBU-39 bomb remnants had been discovered on the website of 20 of those strikes. Most of those occurred earlier than the ceasefire of January 2025.
For instance, the Khadija college in Deir Al Balah was focused in three rounds of airstrikes on July 27, 2024 that used each GBU-39 bombs and MK-80 sequence bombs geared up with JDAM kits. Satellite tv for pc imagery earlier than and after the strike confirmed important harm to the power.
Video from the bottom offered extra element, displaying that the primary spherical of airstrikes focused 5 completely different areas of the varsity complicated.
The unexploded bomb physique of a GBU-39 was discovered inside the varsity, whereas the fuzewell from a GBU-39 bomb that exploded was photographed close to the destroyed gate construction.
An evacuation discover was then reportedly issued, and two buildings on the jap aspect of the complicated had been focused with bigger bombs, leveling the buildings there. A further evacuation discover was reportedly issued earlier than a 3rd strike.
A video of the third strike reveals at the least six folks, together with a baby, seen inside roughly 55 meters of the place a bomb geared up with a US-made JDAM package hit one of many already collapsed buildings on the jap aspect of the complicated.
These three strikes killed at the least 30 folks, together with 15 kids and eight ladies, based on studies collated by Airwars. At the very least 100 had been injured, based on the identical studies. Most individuals had been reportedly harmed within the preliminary strikes, based on the UN Workplace of the Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights.
The United Nations reported on the finish of February 2025 that 403 of 564 college buildings in Gaza had been “instantly hit” in some method, both by airstrikes or by different munitions. Faculty buildings are sometimes used as shelters. Nonetheless, Israel has claimed in some situations that they had been getting used as Hamas command centres.
After the struggle resumed in March 2025, recorded strikes on colleges usually appeared to make use of Israeli-made munitions. Solely two strikes on colleges since then had been discovered to have used US made munitions – a Might 2025 assault on the Fahmy Al Jarjawi college with at the least three US-made GBU-39 bombs that killed 36 folks, based on hospitals in Gaza, and a July 2025 strike on Cairo Fundamental Faculty the place 5 folks had been reported killed and the place remnants of a Hellfire missile was discovered.
Whereas the dataset reveals no different assaults on colleges utilizing US munitions after this era, it is very important be aware that there could have been different situations the place US-made munitions had been utilized in such circumstances however which weren’t recorded.
Strikes on Healthcare Amenities
Two strikes utilizing US-made munitions to instantly goal medical amenities had been recognized on this evaluation. A Hellfire missile was utilized in a June 2024 strike on a well being clinic in Gaza Metropolis that killed Hani al-Jafarawi, the director of ambulance and emergency companies in Gaza. Nonetheless, the IDF claimed the strike had killed “the terrorist Muhammad Salah, who was chargeable for tasks and growth in Hamas’ Weapons Manufacturing Headquarters”.
The Gaza Civil Defence Headquarters in Al Daraj, Gaza Metropolis, was additionally focused with a US-made GBU-39 bomb in September 2024. The bomb penetrated a number of flooring however did not explode, inflicting accidents however no deaths.
5 situations of US-made munitions getting used for strikes close to medical amenities had been additionally recognized. 4 of those strikes used Hellfire missiles to focus on tents inside roughly 150 meters of the Al Aqsa Martyr’s Hospital Principal Advanced in Deir Al Balah.
The fifth strike used a US JDAM doubtless connected to a MK-82 500-pound bomb to focus on the Al Aqsa Mosque throughout the road from the hospital, roughly 50 meters away from the primary hospital complicated. This strike killed 26 folks, based on the Gaza Ministry of Well being.
A US Marine Corps guide on Shut Air Help states {that a} MK-82 bomb delivered inside 425 meters is taken into account “hazard shut”, with a bomb delivered inside 250 meters being 100 occasions extra harmful than the minimal “hazard shut” commonplace.
Evacuation Strike Notices
Twenty-six strikes had been recognized the place US munitions had been used to focus on buildings together with houses, colleges and mosques after an evacuation discover was issued by the IDF. In 23 of those strikes there was no reported hurt. Nonetheless, there was important hurt recorded in others even with evacuation notices.
Evacuation notices are notifications that present advance warning of strikes and will be made on social media or despatched to folks’s telephones. These notices usually present journalists on the bottom time to arrange cameras to document the incoming strikes. Such movies are often of excessive sufficient high quality to establish the bomb steering package connected as JDAMs package as they fall, as will be seen within the video beneath.
لحظة قصف مسجد الألباني في مدينة خانيونس بصاروخين من طيران الحربي .
The second the Al-Albani Mosque in Khan Younis
was bombed with two missiles by warplanes.🎥 : Abdallah Alattar / Anadoluimages
1 أغسطس 2025 pic.twitter.com/U3Tad0veA6— عبدالله العطار abdallah alattar (@abdallahatar) August 1, 2025
By Sept. 17, 2025 Israel stated it had destroyed 25 high-rise buildings in preparation for his or her assault on Gaza Metropolis. Bellingcat was in a position to establish that at the least seven high-rise buildings in Gaza Metropolis, together with Al Soussi Tower, Al Roya Tower, and Al Roya 2 Tower, had been issued evacuation notices then destroyed utilizing MK-80 sequence bombs with JDAM kits.
The Aybaki Mosque, constructed within the thirteenth century, was additionally hit with MK-80 sequence bombs with JDAM package, which the IDF advised Bellingcat was a strike concentrating on the “deputy commander of heavy machine weapons unit in Hamas, Khaled Nabil Saleh Shabat”. The IDF has claimed that these tall buildings host Hamas infrastructure, together with statement posts and ready assault positions.
The public warnings posted by the IDF for buildings focused in Gaza Metropolis in September 2025 alerted residents of particular blocks, in addition to these within the goal constructing and adjoining tents to depart and head south in the direction of the IDF declared humanitarian zone.
Previous to strikes in Lebanon the place the IDF issued evacuation notices, maps had been publicly posted requesting civilians evacuate at the least 500 meters away. Nonetheless, a evaluation of public posts by the IDF for evacuation notices in Gaza from September 2025 discovered no notices that present a selected evacuation distance.
Bellingcat requested the IDF if the content material of evacuation notices despatched to folks’s telephones differ in content material from these publicly posted and why evacuation notices in Gaza appeared to not present a really useful evacuation distance like these issued by the IDF in Lebanon. The IDF advised Bellingcat that they challenge “clear and detailed advance warnings by way of a number of channels, together with communications revealed by the IDF Arabic Spokesperson and permits the civilian inhabitants to evacuate earlier than strike.”
The gap persons are advised to evacuate previous to strikes is essential as fragments from bombs, or the buildings being focused, can nonetheless kill or injure folks a whole bunch of meters away.
In a single strike the place an evacuation discover was given earlier than the strike, a four-year-old lady, Razan Hamdiye, was reported killed. One individual was additionally reported killed within the strike on the AlRoya tower.
After the airstrike concentrating on the Concord Tower, a graphic video captured by the Anadolu Company confirmed a bunch of individuals about 120 meters away had been both killed or injured by the strike, regardless of the evacuation discover.
US-made munitions have additionally been utilized in different IDF strikes, together with one which reportedly killed the chief of Hamas’ Army Wing, Mohammed Deif. At the very least 90 folks had been reported killed on this assault and US-made JDAM remnants recovered. US munitions had been additionally used within the September 2025 strike that reportedly killed Hamas Spokesman, “Abu Obayda” and at the least six different folks, the place remnants of US-made GBU-39 bombs had been discovered.
American-made munitions had been additionally used alongside different unidentified munitions within the June 2024 IDF hostage rescue operation in Nuseirat, the place 274 folks had been reportedly killed. These 274 deaths usually are not included within the 744 folks reported killed within the incidents contained throughout the dataset as a result of lack of ability to establish the opposite weapons utilized in at the least 13 strikes that occurred in the course of the operation.
Bellingcat reached out to the IDF, the US Division of State, and the US Division of Protection earlier than publishing this story. Bellingcat additionally requested the first contractors for these munitions, Boeing and Lockheed Martin, about whether or not they observe how their merchandise are utilized in Gaza.
Boeing, which manufactures the GBU-39 bomb and JDAM bomb steering package didn’t reply. Neither did Lockheed Martin, which makes the AGM-114 “Hellfire” missile.
The Division of Protection declined to remark.
A spokesperson for the US Division of State stated “The US Authorities shouldn’t be in a position to make such determinations” when requested what number of civilian deaths could possibly be attributed to the usage of US-made weapons in Gaza.
Bellingcat requested if the State Division held a special evaluation than the NSM-20 which was launched beneath President Biden and decided that it was affordable to evaluate that US-made weapons had been utilized by Israel in situations “inconsistent with its IHL obligations or with established finest practices for mitigating civilian hurt”. The spokesperson stated “NSM-20 is now not US coverage.”
The State Division referred different questions on the usage of the munitions highlighted on this article to the Israeli Defence Forces, who advised Bellingcat that they don’t element the munitions they make use of and that Hamas exploits “civilian infrastructure for terrorist functions”.
Jake Godin and Carlos Gonzales contributed to this report.
Afton Briones, a member of Bellingcat’s Volunteer Neighborhood, contributed analysis to this piece.
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