Analysis of the recent attack on the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza suggests that it was carried out with a "proximity fuse" bomb, which is made by the U.S., according to an expert, while expert dismissed Israel's claims that the rocket was fired from within Gaza.
Retired military officer and ammunition specialist Engin Yiğit said there was a strong possibility that the attack was carried out with an MK-84 guided bomb, pointing to the absence of craters.
Yiğit said considering the images of the moment of the attack, the probability that the ammunition was a JDAM-equipped 2,000-pound (910-kilogram) Mark 84 (MK-84) bomb increased.
He noted that Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) is the name of one of the guidance kits. "You can make the bomb guided with a kit that you attach to the front or back of MAK-82, MAK-83, MAK-84 bombs.”
"JDAM is a type of kit that allows precise delivery of the bomb to the target,” he said. "The said kit attached to the bomb makes the bomb smart and provides precision strike capability.”
Yiğit said there are several fuses to detonate the bombs and some can explode on impact, while others can explode at the desired moment and height before impact.
"Bombs with proximity fuses or proximity sensors may not create craters where they explode,” he said. "The hospital attack in Gaza may have been similar. How high the bomb explodes can be set by the user.”
Meanwhile, a defense expert dismissed the Israeli military's claim that the hospital attack in Gaza was caused by a rocket fired from within the coastal strip, calling it unrealistic and asserting that if it was fired from Gaza, Israel's Iron Dome air defense system should have been activated.
Murat Aslan, senior research associate at the Foundation for Political, Economic, and Social Research (SETA) and associate professor at Hasan Kalyoncu University, spoke to Anadolu Agency (AA) in an interview about the bombing of the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza on Tuesday evening.
Aslan said, while referring to various assessments made regarding the munition responsible for the attack, that "in attacks targeting populated areas, munition fuses can be time-delayed to explode 50-100 meters above the ground before hitting the target."
"This increases the impact of the attack. Looking at the area affected by the explosion and the traces left on the ground after the explosion in the attack on the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza, it can be suggested that the munition was set to explode prematurely in order to achieve an explosion in the air for a greater impact. This seems to have ensured a wider area of effect for the explosion," he said.
When asked about the Israeli military claim that the attack was caused by a rocket fired from Gaza by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, Aslan said, "If a rocket of such magnitude that could cause such extensive damage were to be fired, the (Israeli) Iron Dome air defense system would have to be activated.
"It would be very difficult for the Islamic Jihad to execute such a precise strike even from the West Bank without being intercepted by the Israeli air defense system.
"If the rocket's caliber is reduced, the deaths of more than 500 people are no longer possible." Furthermore, given that the rocket is unguided and follows a sloping trajectory, a vertical descent onto the hospital appears unlikely," he said.
Aslan also dismissed Israel's claim that the attack was caused by a "howitzer munition," saying, "This possibility is not realistic due to the required range."
"A howitzer munition has a radius of 30-50 meters. It cannot, however, result in such a high casualty count," he said.
He emphasized that there is a high likelihood that the munition used in the attack was dropped from a warplane.
"Therefore, the possibility of Israel using the MK82 bomb, which they have used before and can guide through a kit, is emphasized.
"To provide a definitive statement, the examination of munition fragments and research in the area is necessary. However, the current situation makes this difficult."
The strike by Israel on the hospital killed at least 471 victims, according to revised figures by the Gaza Health Ministry.
The conflict began Oct. 7 when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood – a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea and air.
Hamas said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers.
The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.
At least 3,478 Palestinians have been killed. The death toll in Israel stands at more than 1,400.
