Actually, they didn't specifically say "Jewish Space Lasers," but the reference to an idiotic theory that floated around was too tempting to pass by.
What Hamas is alleging is that Israel deployed weapons that vaporized corpses, leaving nothing behind, which is why there are fewer of them than Hamas claimed in its propaganda during the war.
I see we've reached the "need to invent excuses for why there aren't as many dead as we claimed" phase of the cope. https://t.co/LDOORhFwFZ
— Noam Blum (@neontaster) February 11, 2026
Al Jazeera, that most reliable of sources on all things Hamas and Israel, attributes the disappearing bodies to Israel's use of thermobaric weapons, although the stories of disappearing corpses are incompatible with that claim. A thermobaric explosion would not leave one person a bit wounded, and somebody next to them being vaporized.
At dawn on August 10, 2024, Yasmin Mahani walked through the smoking ruins of al-Tabin school in Gaza City, searching for her son, Saad. She found her husband screaming, but of Saad, there was no trace.
“I went into the mosque and found myself stepping on flesh and blood,” Mahani told Al Jazeera Arabic for an investigation that aired on Monday. She searched hospitals and morgues for days. “We found nothing of Saad. Not even a body to bury. That was the hardest part.”
Uh, yeah, that didn't happen. I'm not saying that because I believe that all tales of tragedies coming out of Gaza are untrue—this was a war, after all, and it was fought in urban environments.
It's just that thermobaric weapons wouldn't vaporize one body, leaving behind a bit of flesh and blood (no bones, but blood?), and leave the person next to them screaming in terror. The physics doesn't work that way. Thermobaric weapons generally kill by two mechanisms: blast damage or oxygen deprivation, although that largely depends on relatively closed environments where oxygen can be entirely used up for long periods of time.
Thermobaric munitions work by initially dispersing an aerosol cloud of gas, liquid or finely powdered explosive. Known fuels such as ethylene oxide, propylene oxide 1, ammonium nitrate2, and powdered PETN4 have been reported. This cloud flows around objects and into cavities and structures. lt may penetrate small openings, such as openings in buildings, bunkers and engine bays of armoured vehiclesI, before being ignited.
The result is a plasma cloud that reaches temperatures of between 2,500-3000′ Celsius4. The time that the cloud burns is slow compared to conventional high explosive and aluminium powder is added to some explosives to enhance this5. 1t is this longer duration or dwell time of the blast wave or overpressure, which can be up to 73 kglcm2 (1000 lb/ sq in), that is the main reason for its lethal and destructive effects4. The injuries are more severe in confined spaces as the blast wave reflects back and forth, submitting the target to multiple insults.
One should not forget the burning effects of the explosion either, as it consumes all oxygen in the area and the resultant vacuum pulls loose objects into this void4. If the explosive does not detonate, the affected area can be highly toxic, as one of the common fuels used is ethylene oxide. Ethylene oxide is a gas used as a sterilising agent in the health industry and is extremely toxic if inhaled6. This may lead to accusations of the use of chemical warfare if this situation were to occur.
Al Jazeera is trying to explain why there is a disconnect between the number of corpses and the claimed number of deaths, and their explanation boils down to this: Israel caused them to evaporate into thin air.
Mahani is one of thousands of Palestinians whose loved ones have simply vanished during Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed more than 72,000 people.
According to the Al Jazeera Arabic investigation, The Rest of the Story, Civil Defence teams in Gaza have documented 2,842 Palestinians who have “evaporated” since the war began in October 2023, leaving behind no remains other than blood spray or small fragments of flesh.
Experts and witnesses attributed this phenomenon to Israel’s systematic use of internationally prohibited thermal and thermobaric weapons, often referred to as vacuum or aerosol bombs, capable of generating temperatures exceeding 3,500 degrees Celsius [6,332 degrees Fahrenheit].
Grim forensic accounting
The figure of 2,842 is not an estimate, but the result of grim forensic accounting by Gaza’s Civil Defence.
Spokesperson Mahmoud Basal explained to Al Jazeera that teams use a “method of elimination” at strike sites. “We enter a targeted home and cross-reference the known number of occupants with the bodies recovered,” Basal said.
"Civil defense teams" are Al Jazeera's source, which is a nice way of saying Hamas terrorists.
The entire report is basically crap, with detailed and largely inaccurate descriptions of how thermobaric weapons work and are used, and incorrect claims that using them is against international law. Because it is so detailed and "well-sourced," it all sounds very convincing until you realize that a good chunk of it is just made up or highly distorted.
Of course, when you have to explain the fact that there are missing bodies, coming up with the equivalent of "Jewish space lasers" is as good an explanation as anything.
Russia is using thermobaric weapons in Ukraine, including on civilian targets, and there are no reports of entire bodies disappearing.
To be fair, it is technically possible for a thermobaric weapon to vaporize a body (the same is true for a conventional bomb under the right circumstances), but the stories of some people evaporating while their family members escape are ridiculous. Nor is it at all credible that such a rare occurrence occurred among nearly 3,000 people, nor is it possible that a bomb that vaporized bodies left buildings in the area standing is not only implausible, but impossible. The whole point of thermobaric bombs is to create a blast zone more effectively than conventional bombs.
Bottom line? The report is bunk.
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