Amid the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, the US has reportedly sent 100 Blu-109 bunker buster bombs to Israel. These bombs are meant to penetrate hardened structures before exploding or targets buried deep underground, such as military bunkers. The buster bombs carry a warhead weighing around 900 kg. They are also known as ground penetration munitions
Bunker bombs are seen as crucial to Israel's bid to penetrate Hamas’ underground tunnels. Reports say the 2000-pound buster bombs were among thousands of other ammunition sent by the US to Israel. The US military has also used bunker buster bombs in various conflicts across Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia, and Libya. They are typically associated with targeting enemy gatherings in relatively open environments. They were first used in World War II to destroy German underground rocket factories.
The weapons fall roughly into two broad categories -- one with a reinforced nose so the bomb itself survives impact and the second one carries two charges, or bombs, on it. In the first kind, the weight gives it the momentum to bury itself deep into a target, and a delayed fuse allows it to penetrate the ground or structure before detonating.
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In the second type, the first charge is small and used to open a hole in its target, allowing the rest of the bomb or missile to pass through intact. The main charge then detonates inside, destroying everything within it.
Meanwhile, Israel's military renewed calls on Monday for mass evacuations from the southern town of Khan Younis, where tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians have sought refuge in recent weeks, as it widened its ground offensive and bombarded targets across the Gaza Strip. The war has already killed thousands of Palestinians and displaced over three-fourths of the territory's population of 2.3 million people, who are running out of safe places to go.
