Europe’s Top Missiles Maker Supplying Israel With Parts of Bombs Used in Gaza Genocide: Probe

Gaza (Quds News Network)- A new investigation has found that Europe’s top missile maker is supplying Israel with essential parts of bombs, which have killed hundreds of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, including children.

Europe’s largest missiles maker, MBDA, is selling key components for bombs that have been shipped in their thousands to Israel and used in multiple airstrikes where research indicates Palestinian children and other civilians were killed, a Guardian investigation with the independent newsrooms Disclose and Follow the Money has revealed.

The probe has examined the supply chain behind the GBU-39 bomb, and the ways in which it has been deployed during the genocide in Gaza.

MBDA owns a factory in Alabama, US, which produces “wings” that are fitted to the GBU-39, which is made by Boeing.

They unfold after launch, allowing the bomb to be guided to its target.

Revenues from the US company MBDA Incorporated flow through MBDA UK, based in Hertfordshire, England, which then passes any profits to MBDA group, headquartered in France. MBDA distributed almost £350m in dividends last year to its three shareholders – Britain’s biggest defence firm BAE Systems, France’s Airbus and Italy’s Leonardo.

In September, the UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, suspended some weapons export licences to Israel, citing risk of “serious violations” of international humanitarian law. Lammy said the move was designed to target “items which could be used in the current conflict in Gaza”.

Using open source information, and analysis by weapons experts, the investigation has verified 24 cases where the GBU-39 was deployed in attacks that killed civilians, including children. Many of the attacks took place at night, without warning, in school buildings and tent camps where displaced families were sheltering.

A number have been examined by the United Nations and the humanitarian group Amnesty International, which flagged them as suspected war crimes.

MBDA confirmed it had a contract with Boeing for the wings, and said it “complies all relevant national and international laws applicable to the arms trade in the countries in which it operates … all of whom have export policies and operate robust export control regimes”.

Campaigners said the case illustrates the limits of the UK’s move to pause some arms shipments to Israel. Already criticised for excluding F-35 fighter jets, the government’s measures have other limitations: they apply only to military equipment exported from Britain, which means the US arm of MBDA can continue supplying Boeing from its Alabama factory.

According to the probe, weapons experts identified fragments of a GBU-39 bomb in the debris. Footage shot at the scene clearly showed the wings, which often shear off as the bomb hits its target.

Trevor Ball, an associate at Armaments Research Services, which receives some EU funding, has compiled his own list of strikes involving the bomb. He said it could be identified by its wings, which are marked with the words “NO LIFT ON WINGS” and by its tail piece, which has slots for fins and distinctive bolts.

The GBU-39 is reaching Israel under the US military aid programme, which provides grants and loans to be spent on weapons.

Bought from the Boeing Company directly, and also transferred from the US military’s own reserves, an estimated 4,800 have been shipped since the start of the Israeli genocide. The most recent consignment of 2,166 was announced in February of this year, just as the UN reported that almost 70% of Gaza had been reduced to rubble.

Its use has been encouraged by the US state department, including under former president Joe Biden, because it was seen as preferable to the much heavier bombs used to flatten Gaza during the early months of the war.

In the 24 cases verified for this article, which date from between November 2023 and May of this year, the reported death toll was more than 500, including at least 100 children.

Of the verified attacks, 16 were against schools. While the buildings are no longer functioning as educational facilities, they have become places of shelter for Gaza’s displaced population. The other strikes were on tent camps, family homes, and on a mosque during morning prayers.

“MBDA are profiting from the arming of Israel,” said Sam Perlo-Freeman, the research coordinator at Campaign Against the Arms Trade. “What MBDA could do if they wanted to not be complicit in arming Israel is they could sell MBDA Inc. We would support the UK government taking all actions that are within their powers to stop the genocide. Beyond an arms embargo, this includes sanctions on companies arming Israel, banning UK investments in such companies.”