Among the rubble of the United Nations-run al-Sardi school in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza were the remains of the weapons that killed at least 40 Palestinians.
The Israeli attack in the early hours of Thursday gave no advance warning to the displaced people who had taken refuge in the school. Fourteen children were killed, nine women and at least 74 other people were injured. The weapons used to carry out the attack – according to an Tel Aviv Tribune analysis of the fragments left behind – were American-made.
An inertial measurement unit of the missile, used to aid precision targeting, was manufactured by Honeywell, a US conglomerate specializing in the design and delivery of sensors and guidance devices used in various military weapons.
Tel Aviv Tribune’s Sanad verification unit found that one of the fragments found in Nuseirat had the manufacturer and category number HG1930BA06, dating back to Honeywell. HG1930 refers to the specific sensor manufactured by the company.
The same part was found after the Israeli bombing of a Palestinian house in Shujayea, Gaza in 2014. Both parts, in the most recent and in the 2014 attack, have the same manufacturer’s part number.
“We also see other numbers like MFR, HG 1930 and then BA 06. This is the manufacturer’s part number that provides more specific details about the missile components,” Elijah Magnier told Tel Aviv Tribune , an independent military and political analyst. “Now, if you look at the manufacturer identification…it’s a format used by the aerospace and defense industry in the United States related to Honeywell.”
“Honeywell is known for supplying IMUs in various military applications, and in particular for the guided missiles it has supplied to the Israeli Air Force since 2000.”
Tel Aviv Tribune has contacted Honeywell for comment but has not yet received a response.
Israeli attacks on UN spaces have become commonplace during Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians.
US-made weapons were used in the latest deadly Israeli attack on a Gaza school run by UNRWA.
Our digital investigations team @AJSanad obtained exclusive evidence from the scene, linking part of the weapon to Honeywell, a leading US-based company. pic.twitter.com/3Wrz8sCQYR
– Tel Aviv Tribune English (@AJEnglish) June 6, 2024
The United States has been criticized for its role in supporting Israel, and particularly for its continued supply of weapons.
Major rights groups have repeatedly accused Israel of violating international law, and Israel currently faces a genocide case before the International Court of Justice. The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court also requested arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for their actions in Gaza.
In May, a U.S. government report revealed possible Israeli violations of international law in Gaza, but did not identify violations that would end its continued military aid. US President Joe Biden threatened to stop the supply of certain offensive weapons to Israel if it continued its operation in Rafah, but did not follow through on his threat, despite Israeli pressure in the area south of Gaza .
Central Gaza attacked
Central Gaza recently came under heavy Israeli bombardment, which Palestinians described as similar to those in the early days of the war.
The attack on the al-Sardi school in Nuseirat is part of this attack.
“The bombing came from here,” said Naim al-Dadah, a survivor of the attack.
“We were sleeping. The flying metal was reaching the roof on the other side and all these nets were landing over there on the other side. What happened to us is beyond anyone’s imagination.
Other witnesses say the attack tore people to pieces. Survivors collected body parts, including those of many children, until the early hours of the morning. Remnants of weapons were scattered throughout the destroyed rooms and on the bloodstained mattresses. Several rooms were targeted, even though the structure of the building remained intact.
Israeli Arabic language spokesman Avichay Adraee said the UN school was targeted because it housed a Hamas command post and fighters involved in the Palestinian group’s attack on Israel on October 7, which killed 1,139 people. He also said Israel had taken several steps to minimize the risk of civilian casualties. The director of the Hamas government’s media office, Ismail al-Thawabta, rejected Israel’s claims.
In April, media outlet +972 Magazine reported that Israel was using an artificial intelligence targeting system called Lavender in its Gaza bombing campaign. The report cites Israeli military officials who say the system generates targets to kill. For low-level Hamas targets, the report said, the army was authorized to kill 15 to 20 civilians. An attack on a more senior Hamas official with the rank of battalion or brigade commander was used to justify the killing of more than 100 civilians.