Gaza café attack kills dozens as Israelis use 230kg bomb in possible ‘war crime’: The Guardian

CAIRO – 3 July 2025: Evidence reviewed by The Guardian indicates that the Israeli military deployed a 230kg bomb in an airstrike on a crowded beachfront café in Gaza on Monday, a weapon known for its devastating blast radius and widespread shrapnel distribution.

International law experts assert that using such a munition in an area populated with unprotected civilians—many of whom were women, children, and the elderly—may amount to a war crime.

Ordnance experts have identified fragments from the destroyed Al-Baqa café as components of an MK-82 general-purpose bomb, a US-made weapon commonly used in military operations over the past few decades.

A spokesperson for the Israeli military stated that the attack is currently under review and claimed that measures were taken ahead of the strike to reduce the risk of civilian harm through aerial surveillance.

However, reports from medical personnel indicate that the attack killed from 24 to 36 Palestinians, with dozens more injured.

The fatalities included a prominent filmmaker and artist, a housewife, and a four-year-old child. Meanwhile, the injured include two children, at the age of 14 and 12.

Gerry Simpson from Human Rights Watch commented that the Israeli military has not clarified its specific target due to the attack and that their remarks indicate that they were aware the café was busy at the time of the strike.

He emphasized that the use of this type of weapon in a crowded café raises serious concerns about the legality of the attack, which should be investigated as a potential war crime.