Israeli military used 500lb bomb in strike on Gaza cafe, fragments reveal
A Palestinian checks an area near a cafe that was damaged in an Israeli strike, Gaza City, Monday, June 30, 2025. Picture: AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi
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.
