• According to Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, Israeli army destroys around 300 housing units daily using 15 vehicles packed with nearly 100 tons of explosives
• Human cost is immense, with entire neighborhoods erased, hundreds of families displaced, and psychological terror inflicted to force further evacuation, security analyst Rami Abu Zubaida tells Anadolu
• He says 'While explosive robots have not ended the resistance’s ability to plant devices or carry out operations, they have caused widespread destruction and mass displacement'

GAZA CITY, Palestine/ANKARA 

Brushing aside international condemnation of the ongoing genocidal war in Gaza, which has nearly completed two years, the Israeli army has devised a novel method to continue the brazen slaughter of Palestinians by sending robots carrying tons of explosives into residential neighborhoods before remotely detonating them, leveling buildings, and displacing civilians.

According to Gaza’s government media office, the Israeli military launched a “criminal” ground offensive on Aug. 13, detonating more than 100 explosive robots and forcing thousands of residents to evacuate, resulting in 1,100 Palestinian deaths and 6,008 injuries.

A security source in Gaza told Anadolu that the robots are being used to reduce Israeli military losses. Bulldozers push old armored personnel carriers into neighborhoods at night and remotely detonate them, creating blast waves up to 300 meters long that cause subsequent collapses in adjacent buildings.

"This tactic first appeared during the Israeli incursion into Jabalia and its camp in May 2024," said the source, who requested anonymity. "Resistance forces initially targeted what they believed were operational vehicles, only to discover later that they were empty explosive robots that caused massive destruction." 

Systematic destruction 

According to the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, the Israeli army destroys around 300 housing units daily using 15 vehicles packed with nearly 100 tons of explosives.

Each vehicle can demolish up to 20 units at once, displacing hundreds of thousands in extremely harsh conditions.

Explosions often occur at night or at dawn to instill fear and drive residents from their homes. Blast sounds can be heard over 40 kilometers away, illustrating the scale of destruction. 

Types of explosive robots 

Palestinian military and security analyst Rami Abu Zubaida told Anadolu that the Israeli army primarily uses two categories of robots.

“The first involves modified tracked vehicles, such as old M113 armored personnel carriers, loaded with tons of explosives and detonated remotely to clear entire neighborhoods before ground forces enter,” he explained.

“The second includes small ground robots, some for clearing explosive devices and others fitted with explosive barrels, sent toward tunnel entrances or densely populated areas,” he added.

Abu Zubaida noted that the explosions caused by these robots led to successive building collapses, widespread infrastructure damage, and the destruction of multiple homes at once in crowded neighborhoods.

Motives and consequences 

He said the main motive is to reduce direct contact with Palestinian fighters, open pathways for Israeli troops, and minimize Israeli casualties.

However, he stressed that the human cost is immense, with entire neighborhoods erased, hundreds of families displaced, and psychological terror inflicted to force further evacuation.

“While explosive robots have not ended the resistance’s ability to plant devices or carry out operations, they have caused widespread destruction and mass displacement, making them more of an instrument of genocidal warfare than a conventional military tactic,” Abu Zubaida said.

Israel has killed more than 64,200 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.