- Israel's Air Force is conducting devastating airstrikes on Gaza.
- Videos appear to show strikes employing precision-guided munitions and missiles against Hamas targets.
Israeli airstrikes are pummeling Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip in moves that could be a precursor to expanded combat operations, and the country is requesting more weapons as the fighting continues.
The airstrikes began early in the worsening conflict that started with bloody surprise attacks by Hamas on Saturday that killed at least 800 people — mostly civilians — and wounded countless more. Deaths have climbed since the initial attacks.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have said its strikes are targeting Hamas forces across the Gaza Strip, but the area is densely populated with around 2 million people, many families with children. Combat in this area is a challenge, and Palestinian officials said at least 830 people have died since the airstrikes began. At least 260 children are included in that estimate.
The Israeli Air Force said it was staging "an extensive attack" in Gaza on Tuesday, a day after Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that Israel is executing a "complete siege" of Gaza, including cutting off electricity, food, and fuel.
—Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) October 10, 2023
"The issue here is that we have been tasked with mitigating or making sure that Hamas doesn't have any military capabilities at the end of the war. And that will be achieved," an IDF spokesperson told CNN on Monday.
"What happens on the way and how we implement that task will be seen. But at this stage, we continue to strike from the air. And there are plans to, of course, expand that. And the troops, the reserves, and the regular units that are amassing along the southern border are readying for their tasks," he said.
According to open-source accounts, strikes against Hamas militants include the use of Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs), a US-made guidance kit that converts unguided, "dumb" bombs into precision-guided, "smart" munitions, as well as US-made Hellfire missiles, among other weapons.
Israel has used these weapons to strike targets in Gaza from the air in the past, like during Operation Guardian of the Walls in May 2021. And there have been urgent requests US weapons and assistance, including asking for more JDAMs and interceptors for their short-range aerial defense system Iron Dome.
The demand for the latter comes as Hamas rockets create a pressing "need a lot of inexpensive air defenses," Mark Cancian, a senior advisor with the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a retired Marine Corps colonel, told Insider.
JDAMs were jointly developed by the US Air Force and the US Navy after the Air Force's bombing campaign during the Persian Gulf War in the 1990s was hindered by weather changes and airborne dust and smoke. The JDAM kit fixes that issue, ensuring the munition it's bolted onto can remain locked on target thanks to GPS coordination. Putting a JDAM kit on a "dumb" bomb — thereby making it smart — was seen as a cost effective way to modernize munitions and increase effectiveness.
Also, "they are cheap and plentiful," Cancian said, "and thus the weapon of choice when an adversary does not have a strong air defense."
Israel, which says the weapons help reduce civilian casualties, has long employed JDAMs, originally getting them in the 1990s and using them extensively in their 2006 offensive against neighboring Lebanon.
In 2008, Israel bid to get improved JDAMs from the US, beating out Saudi Arabia, which was also gunning for the weapons. Since then, the IDF has consistently kept JDAMs in its stockpiles and used them in airstrikes against Hamas due to affordability and the potential for massive damage. It requested additional JDAMs from the US amid the latest fighting, and a delivery of 1,000 small diameter bombs originally purchased in 2021 was accelerated.
In a statement Sunday, the US Defense Department said it "will be rapidly providing the Israel Defense Forces with additional equipment and resources, including munitions," though it did not specify which ones. A senior Pentagon official told reporters Monday "planes have already taken off," per Politico.
Open-source information accounts, as well as war monitors, have been documenting the potential use of JDAMs in airstrikes on Gaza since the declaration of war on Sunday.
—Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) October 10, 2023
Other videos showed compilations of JDAM attacks, as the munitions obliterated buildings leveled entire areas.
—Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) October 9, 2023
Photos of an Israeli F-16 armed with JDAMs were also shared online. Insider was unable to independently verify the videos and photos posted, and the IDF declined to comment on whether or not JDAMs were being used.
IDF actions also appears to include launching Hellfire missiles from Apache helicopters against Hamas groups, resulting in massive destruction. The air-to-ground missile can be fired from aircraft like drones and attack helicopters toward targets such as infantry, tanks, and bunkers.
One video surfaced online and shared by open-source accounts showed the apparent use of Hellfire missiles on Hamas militants. The exact time and location of the engagement is unknown.
—OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) October 9, 2023
Since Israel began its air assaults in and around Gaza, the United Nations has said at least two hospitals have been hit, with reports of further strikes on a marketplace, mosques, schools, and other civilian infrastructure. Israel has long accused Hamas of operating out of civilian facilities.