US intel indicates half of all weapons dropped by Israel on Gaza are 'dumb bombs': Report

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - US intelligence indicates that roughly half of all airborne weapons dropped by Israel on the besieged Gaza Strip have been unguided "dumb bombs," according to a recently published report.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence's assessment indicates that 40 - 45% of the air-to-ground bombs have been unguided during the more than two-month war, CNN reported, citing three sources who have seen the document. Israel said it has so far carried out over 22,000 strikes during the war.

More than 18,600 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7 when Israel began its war in response to Hamas' cross-border attack in which over 1,200 people were killed and 239 taken hostage. The vast majority of those killed in Gaza -- roughly two-thirds -- have been women and children.

The war has left Gaza in ruins with half of the coastal territory's housing stock damaged or destroyed, and nearly 2 million people displaced within the densely-populated enclave amid shortages of food and clean water. The UN has repeatedly warned that nowhere is safe in Gaza as the death toll continues to mount.

The frequency with which Israel has continued to drop imprecise unguided bombs on the coastal enclave "may be contributing to the soaring civilian death toll," CNN reported. US President Joe Biden described Israel's attacks Tuesday as "indiscriminate."

Indiscriminate bombing is widely regarded as a war crime in violation of the Geneva Conventions.

The White House has struggled to parse out the president's words. It said Wednesday that Biden was "expressing concerns about the civilian casualties that we've seen."

"It’s reflective of our constant efforts to urge the Israelis to be as precise and careful as possible," National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.

The Israeli military declined to comment on the types of bombs it is employing in its war when contacted by CNN.

The precise types of "dumb bombs" Israel is using in Gaza remain unclear from the intelligence assessment, but CNN pointed to photos posted on social media by the Israeli military that appeared to show M117 bombs affixed to aircraft.

The M117 is a general purpose 750-pound bomb that dates to the Korean War and was used extensively in the Vietnam War and the first Iraq War, according to the National Museum of the US Air Force. It is unclear which variations Israel has in its arsenal.

Biden has resisted demands to place conditions on further aid to Israel, but has said the notion is a "worthwhile thought."