A New York Times investigation reveals, video in hand, that during the first six weeks of the war in Gaza , Israel used large and very destructive bombs in areas considered "safe" for civilians .
«The video investigation – we read in the American newspaper – focuses on the use of bombs weighing over 900 kilograms in an area of southern Gaza where Israel had ordered civilians to move . Although bombs of that size are used by several Western armies, experts say they are almost never dropped in densely populated areas by the US military."
The New York Times used artificial intelligence to scan satellite images of southern Gaza for bomb craters that measured 40 feet (12 meters) or more in diameter . Typically, only 900-kilogram bombs make craters of that size in Gaza's light, sandy soil.
«In the end – we read in the newspaper – the investigation identified 208 craters in satellite images and drone footage . The findings reveal that those bombs posed a grave threat to civilians seeking safety in southern Gaza."
An Israeli military spokesperson also told the Times that Israel's priority is to destroy Hamas and that "matters of this nature will be examined at a later stage."
The spokesperson also said that the IDF “takes possible precautions to mitigate harm to civilians.”
Satellite images from the first days of the war, CNN also explains, reveal more than 500 impact craters over 12 meters in diameter , consistent with those left by the 2,000-pound bombs. They are four times heavier than the largest bombs the United States dropped on ISIS in Mosul, Iraq.
Marc Garlasco, a former US defense intelligence analyst and former United Nations war crimes investigator, told CNN that the intensity of the first month of Israeli bombing in Gaza was "not seen since Vietnam."
“The use of 2,000-pound bombs in a densely populated area like Gaza means it will take decades for communities to recover,” said John Chappell, an advocate and legal fellow for Civic, a Washington-based group focused on minimization of harm to civilians in conflicts.
