Israeli military used 500lb bomb in strike on Gaza cafe, fragments reveal
Exclusive: Experts say use of heavy munition in Monday’s strike that killed dozens may constitute a war crime hi did you leave
Jason Burke in Jerusalem
Wed 2 Jul 2025
The Israeli military used a 500lb (230kg) bomb – a powerful and indiscriminate weapon that generates a massive blast wave and scatters shrapnel over a wide area – when it attacked a target in a crowded beachfront cafe in Gaza on Monday, evidence seen by the Guardian has revealed.
Experts in international law said the use of such a munition despite the known presence of many unprotected civilians, including children, women and elderly people, was almost certainly unlawful and may constitute a war crime.
Fragments of the weapon from the ruins of al-Baqa cafe photographed by the Guardian have been identified by ordnance.
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Ordnance experts identified the fragments as parts of an MK-82 general purpose bomb. Photograph: Enas Tantesh/The Guardian