Amnesty International's investigation uncovers US-made weapon usage in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, killing 43 civilians
Fragments of a guidance system for Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), a precision-guided munition, were discovered in the debris of destroyed houses near Deir al-Balah in the Gaza Strip's center, according to a report published Tuesday by Amnesty International.
Israel has employed a multitude of US-made weapons and ammunition, but Amnesty International's report represents the first attempt to correlate US-made weapons with specific attacks resulting in numerous civilian casualties.
JDAM is described by the Israeli Air Force as a "guided tailkit that converts unguided freefall bombs into precise, 'smart' weather-resistant munitions for inclement weather."
CNN could not independently verify Amnesty International's findings.
According to Amnesty International, its weapons experts and a "remote sensing analyst" examined satellite images and photos of houses displaying "fragments of ordnance recovered from the ruins" and signs of damage, as stated in the report. The photos were taken by Amnesty International staff on-site.
The two airstrikes resulted in 19 children, 14 women, and 10 men being killed, according to the report.
Amnesty International stated that it found no evidence of militant targets on the attack site or of civilians serving as legitimate military targets.
The report states, "The group found that these airstrikes were either direct attacks on civilians or civilian targets or acts of arbitrary violence." It calls for the investigations of these airstrikes as war crimes.
In response to CNN, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) labeled the report as "flawed, biased, and premature, based on unfounded assumptions about IDF operations."
The IDF statement said, "The assumption that information about the military use of specific structures is not available until it is disclosed, contradicts any understanding of military activities, and the report relies on this flawed assumption to suggest a similarly flawed and biased narrative of the IDF's conclusions, aligning with pre-existing prejudices and the problematic history of the organization." The IDF added, "The military regrets any harm caused to civilians or civilian property as a result of its operations and reviews all its operations to learn and improve."
Amnesty International stated in the report that such airstrikes using US-manufactured weapons "should serve as a writer's cramp for the Biden administration."
"US-made weapons have led to the mass killing of child-rich families," said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International's secretary-general, in the report.
US Arms Control Report
The US State Department is reviewing the Amnesty International report, said spokesman Matt Miller on Wednesday.
"We made it clear to Israeli leaders in our discussions that the protection of the civilian population in this conflict is of great concern to us," Miller said. "We expect Israel to only attack legitimate targets and comply with the laws of armed conflict."
The Pentagon confirmed on Tuesday that it was also reviewing the report.
"We will continue to engage closely with our Israeli partners to ensure that the consideration of civilians' safety is an integral part of their operations," said Brigadier General Patrick Ryder to reporters.
According to the Congressional Research Service, Israel has been the largest cumulative recipient of US foreign aid since World War II. The United States has provided Israel with approximately $3 billion a year in military aid, and the Biden administration has requested an additional $10.6 billion in military aid, following Hamas's Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
The first attack Amnesty International mentioned occurred around 8:30 PM. In the Oct. 10 attack on the al-Najjar family's home, 21 members of the family and three of their neighbors were killed, according to the report.
Amnesty International stated that the bomb weighed approximately 2,000 pounds, based on the extent of the damage to the house and adjacent buildings. Photos in the report show that the type label on the bomb also contained the year 2017, indicating that the bomb was manufactured in that year.
"JDAM is an air-to-ground weapon that carries a 2,000-pound warhead, a 1,000-pound warhead, or a 500-pound warhead," the Israeli Air Force stated about JDAM.
"Scene of Total Destruction"
Suleiman Salman al-Najjar, a survivor of the attack, told Amnesty International that he had become ill and returned from the hospital to find his home and family destroyed after the attack. "I was shocked. I hurried home and saw a scene of total destruction. I could not believe my eyes. All were under the rubble. The house was completely leveled. The bodies were torn to pieces," he said.
The second attack took place at noon on Oct. 22 and struck three houses belonging to the Abu Mu'eileq family's brothers, according to the report. According to reports, a total of 18 members of the Abu Mu'eileq family, including 12 children and six women, were killed, along with one of their neighbors. Bakir Abu Mu'eileq told Amnesty International that he lost his wife and four children during the attack. Abu Mu'eileq, an ear, nose, and throat specialist, said he had been working in a nearby hospital when the attack occurred.
"We are three brothers, married to three sisters, living together, concentrating on family and profession, and staying away from politics," said Abu Mu'eilek. "We do not understand why our house was bombarded. ... No, we have no weapons or political connections. Our family and lives were completely destroyed, wiped out. Why? 'Why?'"
Amnesty International stated that photos showed the bomb that struck the Abu Mu'eileq family weighed approximately 1,000 pounds and was made in 2018, based on the year printed on the type label.
Amnesty International warned, "The United States may be held responsible for grave violations of international humanitarian law that Israel has committed using US-supplied weapons since all states have a duty not to knowingly contribute to the unlawful actions of other states." The organization called on the US and other governments to stop arming Israel, arguing that such arms sales could contribute to serious violations of international humanitarian law or increase the risk of such violations.
"States that continue to supply weapons could be held accountable for these violations," Amnesty International urged.
