US-made guided bombs used in Israeli attack on Fahmi al-Jarjawi School in Gaza City
Al Jazeera’s Sanad fact-checking unit has obtained exclusive images of the remains of the weaponry used by the Israeli army in the bombing of the Fahmi al-Jarjawi School in the Daraj neighbourhood of Gaza City on Sunday.
The fragments belonged to US-made GBU-39 SDB guided bombs, which have been identified in repeated attacks on Gaza. Trevor Ball, an American expert and researcher in munitions, confirmed Sanad’s results.
Israel imports these bombs from the US company Boeing, and multiple investigations have documented their use in targeting displacement camps in central and southern Gaza.
Once launched from an aircraft, the bomb deploys its wings and uses a GPS guidance system to precisely correct its trajectory towards its target. It is also equipped with a warhead designed to penetrate hard targets, such as reinforced concrete or fortifications, before detonation.
Analysed images from the site of the attack show the bomb broke through the school’s roof and first floor before detonating on the ground floor, killing at least 36 people.
The same type of bomb was used in a strike that hit the al-Tabin School in Gaza City in August, killing 100 people, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office.
In February, the US approved the sale of 2,166 GBU-39 SDB bombs to Israel in a deal valued at $6.75bn, according to the official website of the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency.
The fragments of US-made GBU-39 SDB guided bombs used in an Israeli attack on a school in Gaza City
Girl tells Al Jazeera how she escaped school inferno
Ward al-Sheikh Khalil, a young Palestinian girl, spoke to Al Jazeera after surviving an Israeli air attack on a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City. Video showed her walking among the flames of the fires that broke out.
The attack killed more than 36 Palestinians, including her mother and siblings.
More than 90,000 tonnes of military equipment brought to Israel since war began
Israel’s Defence Ministry has announced the 800th flight bringing in military equipment and ammunition since the start of the war on Gaza has landed in the country.
In a statement, it said the military equipment and weapons airlift is being carried out in collaboration with the ministry’s mission to the US, Israel’s top ally, and other parts of the Israeli military.
“Throughout this operation, over 90,000 tons of military equipment have been delivered to Israel via 800 flights and approximately 140 maritime shipments,” it said. “The procured and transported equipment includes munitions, armored vehicles, individual protective equipment, and medical supplies.”
As we’ve been reporting, Israel’s war on Gaza has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians and wounded tens of thousands more. The Democratic and Republican administrations of former US President Joe Biden and his successor, Donald Trump, have faced criticism over their policies of arming Israel, which critics say violate US laws prohibiting military aid and weapons sales to countries engaged in rights abuses.
