US-made MK-84 bombs in Gaza may prove humanitarian law violations: Harvard study

By Ecem Sahinli Oguc and Zeynep Katre Oran

A Harvard University study has revealed that, in the 40 days following Oct. 7, 2023, Israel struck areas "dangerously close" to hospitals in Gaza using US-made Mark-84 (MK-84) bombs.

Researchers from the Francois-Xavier Bagnoud (FXB) Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University examined craters caused by MK-84 explosions around hospitals in Gaza between Oct. 7 and Nov. 17, 2023.

The study, which utilized satellite imagery, included a detailed analysis of 36 hospitals and 592 craters.

The proximity of US-made MK-84 bombs used by the Israeli military to hospitals in Gaza was measured as part of the study, published in the journal PLOS Global Public Health.

The study found that the MK-84 bombs, which have a blast radius capable of killing people within 360 meters and causing injuries and building damage up to 800 meters away, were detonated "dangerously close" to hospitals in Gaza.

- Gaza hospitals bombed indiscriminately

Experts identified craters from bomb explosions as close as 14 meters and as far as 360 meters from nine of the 36 hospitals studied.

They found that 83% of hospitals were within 800 meters of at least one bomb impact.

The findings revealed that the Israeli military dropped over 100 MK-84 bombs near the area designated as an "evacuation zone" for Palestinian civilians, with 38 of those bombs exploding within 800 meters of hospitals in the evacuation zone.

The study highlighted that during the period when the satellite images were captured, tens of thousands of civilians were using these hospitals and the surrounding areas as shelters.

The results showed that hospitals, which are granted special protection under international humanitarian law, were bombed indiscriminately.

Responding to questions from an Anadolu correspondent, Dennis Kunichoff, a data and research analyst at the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights, said that due to the significant destruction caused by MK-84 bombs, many countries have signed agreements not to use them in densely populated areas.

Kunichoff emphasized that Israel is not among those countries and that it used these bombs all over Gaza, one of the most densely populated places in the world.

When asked about the potential use of the research findings in ongoing cases against Israel at the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, Kunichoff responded: "We hope the findings will serve as evidence that hospitals were not protected as required by international humanitarian law."

"We will continue to conduct various studies on the war in Gaza. One of these will be a more comprehensive and up-to-date study on the bombs dropped," Kunichoff added.

The Israeli army has continued a devastating offensive on the Gaza Strip since a Hamas attack on Oct. 7 last year, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

More than 42,700 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 100,300 others injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught on Gaza has displaced almost the territory’s entire population amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.