Al-Baqa Cafe in Gaza targeted by 500-pound bomb

The Israeli army used a 500-pound bomb during its strike on Monday on the al-Baqa Cafe in Gaza City, according to elements examined by the British media The Guardian.

This "powerful and blind" weapon generated a massive shockwave in the crowded seaside area of Gaza. According to the Civil Defense, at least 24 people were killed and 20 others seriously injured.

Among the dead were a well-known filmmaker and artist, a 35-year-old homemaker, and a 4-year-old child. Among the injured were a 14-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl. The port area where the al-Baqa Cafe was located was not among those affected by the evacuation orders issued by the Israeli army.

Read more about the devastating strike on Gaza's seafront

Al-Baqa cybercafé: A symbol of Gaza destroyed by the Israeli army

'MPR500 or MK-82' bomb

Fragments of the bomb found in the ruins of the cafe, photographed by The Guardian, were identified by weapons experts as coming from a 500-pound MK-82 bomb. This model, manufactured in the United States, is commonly used in bombing campaigns in recent decades.

The vast crater left by the explosion is another indication of the use of a heavy and powerful bomb like the MK-82, according to two munitions experts cited by the British media.

Trevor Ball, a researcher specializing in weapons and a former U.S. Army bomb disposal technician, identified a JDAM rear section and a thermal battery, which he believes suggests it was an MPR500 or MK-82 bomb.

Experts in international law, cited by The Guardian, stated that the use of such ammunition in the presence of many unprotected civilians, including children, women, and the elderly, was "almost certainly illegal" and could constitute a war crime. On Tuesday, an Israeli government spokesperson stated that the army "never, ever targets civilians."

As the Israeli aggression in the occupied strip continues, more than 56,640 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed in the Israeli retaliatory campaign on the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian authorities' data.