A major investigation has documented the disappearance of at least 2,842 Palestinians since the start of Israel's genocide in Gaza, attributing the phenomenon to the use of high-temperature weapons capable of vaporising human tissue.
The investigation, The Rest of the Story, which aired on Al Jazeera, has cited data compiled by Gaza's Civil Defense teams since October 2023.
It said the figure is based on forensic field documentation rather than estimates.
Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal has said rescue teams rely on a process comparing the known number of people inside a targeted structure with the remains recovered afterwards.
"If a family tells us there were five people inside and we only recover three intact bodies, we classify the remaining two as 'evaporated' only after exhaustive searches yield nothing but biological traces," Basal said, citing blood spray or small fragments.
He added that classification occurs only after rubble searches, hospitals and morgues produce no identifiable remains.
The investigation has included testimony from Palestinians searching for relatives who vanished in Israeli strikes.
Yasmin Mahani said she searched the ruins of al-Tabin school in Gaza City on Aug. 10, 2024, after an Israeli attack.
"I went into the mosque and found myself stepping on flesh and blood," she said, adding that she later found no trace of her son.
"Not even a body to bury."
Weapons and extreme heat
Military experts interviewed have attributed the disappearances to the use of thermobaric and thermal weapons.
Russian military expert Vasily Fatigarov said such weapons ignite fuel clouds into fireballs reaching between 2,500 and 3,000 degrees Celsius.
The probe identified several munitions used in Gaza, including the MK-84 bomb, the BLU-109 bunker buster and the GBU-39 precision glide bomb.
It said the GBU-39 was used in the al-Tabin school strike and is designed to keep structures intact while destroying everything inside through pressure and heat.
The BLU-109 was also cited in an attack on al-Mawasi, previously designated a "safe zone", which the investigation said "evaporated 22 people".
Former US congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene questioned Washington's role following the investigation.
"If this is true and our country supplied the weapons, these are horrific war crimes. Crimes against humanity," Greene wrote on X.
"And our country provided such weapons? When? Most Americans do not want to pay for this or be involved in such weapons," she added.
If this is true and our country supplied the weapons, these are horrific war crimes. Crimes against humanity.And our country provided such weapons? When? Most Americans do not want to pay for this or be involved in such weapons. https://t.co/fbQzx2nPNl
— Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene???????? (@FmrRepMTG) February 10, 2026
Dr Munir al-Bursh, director general of Gaza's Health Ministry, said exposure to extreme heat causes bodily fluids to boil instantly, leading to tissue vaporisation.
Legal experts have warned that weapons incapable of distinguishing between civilians and combatants may constitute war crimes.
"They know these weapons do not distinguish between a fighter and a child, yet they continue to send them," lawyer Diana Buttu said.
The investigation noted the findings come despite provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice and an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court against Israel's prime minister.
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Source: TRT