
Report: Israel Bombed a Café in Gaza with a 500-Pound Bomb
SadaNews - The British newspaper The Guardian revealed in its investigation on Thursday that the Israeli army used a 500-pound (approximately 230 kilograms) bomb to strike a café on the beachfront in the Gaza Strip last Monday.
The investigation clarified that the bomb, identified by experts as an "MK-82," is a weapon with a significant destructive capacity, generating a massive blast wave and scattering shrapnel over a wide area, making its use in densely populated civilian areas likely to be indiscriminate.
Legal experts cited by the newspaper indicated that the large crater left by the explosion is evidence of the use of such bombs, warning that this could amount to a war crime if it is established that the Israeli army knew about a large number of civilians at the site, including children, women, and the elderly.
The investigation confirmed that remnants and shrapnel from the bomb recovered from the ruins of the "Al Baqa Café," which overlooked the sea and consisted of two floors, were photographed and analyzed, showing parts of the "MK-82" bomb or an Israeli-manufactured bomb of the type "MPR 500" with similar capabilities.
The Israeli army told the newspaper that the attack is under review, affirming that it took precautions before the strike to reduce the risk of civilian casualties.
According to medical officials and witnesses, the bombing resulted in the deaths of between 24 and 36 Palestinians and injured dozens, including a filmmaker, an artist, a 35-year-old housewife, a four-year-old child, a 14-year-old child, and a 12-year-old girl among the injured.
International law, according to the Geneva Conventions, prohibits any attack that could lead to "incidental loss of civilian life" that is "excessive or disproportionate" in relation to the anticipated military advantage. Experts believe that the killing of this number of civilians can only be justified if the target has exceptional military significance.
The investigation indicated that the targeted café had been known in Gaza for about 40 years as a popular recreational destination for youth and families, serving simple beverages in two floors, with an open rooftop and ground level windows overlooking the sea; its entrances were also clearly visible from the air.
It also noted that the harbor area where the café is located was not subject to any Israeli evacuation orders.
Legal experts criticized this attack sharply, with Jerry Simpson from "Human Rights Watch" describing it as "likely illegal, disproportionate, or indiscriminate," explaining that the army was likely aware of the crowding at the café at the time of the strike, and that using a bomb of this size would kill and maim many civilians.
Andrew Ford, a human rights professor at Dublin City University, considered the attack "shocking," adding that "using heavy munitions in a densely populated urban area makes even the most sophisticated targeting systems unable to prevent indiscriminate results."
Mark Shak, an assistant professor of international law at Copenhagen University, stated that it is "almost impossible to justify using such munitions in this context," noting that military operation standards elsewhere, such as in Afghanistan and Iraq, placed strict limits on civilian casualties even when targeting high-value individuals.
The investigation concluded by indicating that the Israeli army possesses a vast arsenal of munitions and typically uses smaller munitions in precision strikes, including in its recent operations in Lebanon and Iran.

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