ANKARA

The Israeli attack on a hospital in Gaza was carried out with a “proximity fuse” bomb that explodes high above the ground, an expert told Anadolu on Wednesday. 

Retired military officer and ammunition specialist Engin Yigit said there was a strong possibility that the attack was carried out with an MK-84 guided bomb.

Yigit said considering the images of the moment of the attack, the probability that the ammunition was a JDAM-equipped 2,000-pound (910-kilogram) Mark 84 (MK-84) bomb increased.

He noted that Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) is the name of one of the guidance kits. “You can make the bomb guided with a kit that you attach to the front or back of MAK-82, MAK-83, MAK-84 bombs.”

“JDAM is a type of kit that allows precise delivery of the bomb to the target,” he said. “The said kit attached to the bomb makes the bomb smart and provides precision strike capability.”

Yigit said there are several fuses to detonate the bombs and some can explode on impact, while others can explode at the desired moment and height before impact.

“Bombs with proximity fuses or proximity sensors may not create craters where they explode,” he said. “The hospital attack in Gaza may have been similar. How high the bomb explodes can be set by the user.”

The strike by Israel on the al-Ahli Baptist Hospital killed at least 471 victims, according to revised figures by the Gaza Health Ministry.

The conflict began Oct. 7 when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood -- a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea and air.

Hamas said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers.

The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.

At least 3,478 Palestinians have been killed. The death toll in Israel stands at more than 1,400.