Israel’s use of untargeted ‘dumb bombs’ in Gaza exposed by US intelligence report

Israel faced condemnation from international leaders, communities over their aerial bombing campaign on Palestine's Gaza, that killed over 18,000 people. Now an intelligence report by the United States have revealed that more than half the bombs dropped were ‘dumb bombs’ or untargeted, not precise bombs. 

The revelation by the US intelligence reports might bring into the perspective the overwhelming death toll in Gaza, which includes a larger proportion of civilians. 

The intelligence report was published in CNN. The assessment, compiled by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence says that about 40-45% of the 29,000 air-to-ground munitions Israel has used have been unguided. 

The rest have been precision-guided munitions, the assessment says.

Unguided munitions are typically less precise and can pose a greater threat to civilians, especially in such a densely populated area like Gaza. The rate at which Israel is using the dumb bombs may be contributing to the soaring civilian death toll.

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden said Israel has been engaged in “indiscriminate bombing” in Gaza.

Further the report also proves that Israel has been contradicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statement that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) was trying to minimize civilians death in Gaza 

US National Security Council's John Kirby said on Wednesday that Israel is “doing everything they can to reduce civilian casualties.” But the US has repeatedly urged Israel to be more precise and deliberate in its targeting of Hamas fighters inside Gaza

The US has also provided Israel with unguided munitions, including 5,000 Mk82 bombs, reports CNN. 

Israel pounded the length of the Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing families in their homes even as Washington dispatched an envoy to encourage its ally to be more precise in its war against Hamas fighters. 

Israel vowed to keep fighting in Gaza until it crushes Hamas after one of the deadliest single battles of the war for its soldiers, even as it faces mounting international calls for a cease-fire and unease on the part of its closest ally, the United States.

The ambush in Gaza City, one of the hardest hit areas of the war, showed Hamas' resilience and called into question whether Israel can defeat it without wiping out the entire territory. Support for Hamas has surged among Palestinians — in part because of the militant group's stiff resistance to a far more powerful foe — while the US has expressed growing discomfort over civilian deaths.

The ambush took place on Tuesday in the dense neighbourhood of Shijaiyah, which was also the scene of a major battle during the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas. The dead included two high-ranking officers. A total of 116 soldiers have been killed in the ground offensive, which began October 27.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to fight to the end, “even given the great pain and the international pressure," saying late Wednesday that "nothing will stop us.”

Israel has been carpet bombing Gaza since after the Hamas fighters' 7 October attack. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel would not stop “unless they eliminate Hamas”. 

Notably the UN Security Council on Wednesday adopted a resolution demanding immediate ceasefire in Palestine's Gaza. The resolution demanded that Israel stop its attacks on the densely populated strip.

What are ‘dumb bombs’ that Israel used in Gaza?

An unguided bomb, also known as a free-fall bomb, gravity bomb, dumb bomb, or iron bomb, is an aircraft-dropped bomb that does not contain a guidance system and hence simply follows a ballistic trajectory.