Thousands of unexploded Israeli bombs have become key resource for Hamas wing in Gaza: Report

JERUSALEM/ISTANBUL

Roughly 3,000 Israeli bombs that failed to detonate during airstrikes in the Gaza Strip have become a vital source of raw materials for improvised explosive devices used by the Al-Qassem Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian group Hamas, the Israeli news site The Marker reported Tuesday.

The website, the Haaretz newspaper’s financial supplement, said the percentage of unexploded Israeli ordnance in Gaza has surged, reaching as high as 20% of the total munitions dropped during certain phases of the war.

Humanitarian and local organizations have repeatedly warned about the risks posed by unexploded ordnance left behind by months of Israeli genocide.

Recycled

According to the report, investigations by the Israeli military revealed that many of the large explosions that damaged or destroyed Israeli armored vehicles -- including a tank in January -- were caused by unexploded Air Force bombs that were recycled by the Al-Qassam Brigades.

By the end of 2024, the Israeli military had carried out over 40,000 airstrikes on Gaza, the outlet reported. The UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) estimates that between 5% and 10% of the munitions used in these operations failed to explode.

As of early 2025, the Israeli Air Force was aware of at least 3,000 unexploded bombs in Gaza, The Marker added. Each Israeli bomb weighing a ton and used in these strikes costs between $20,000 and $30,000.

Tons of explosives transferred

“These unexploded bombs have effectively become a pipeline through which Israel, unintentionally, has transferred thousands of tons of explosives to Hamas—worth tens of millions of dollars—over the past year and a half,” the report said.

Given Hamas’s severe shortage of weaponry, these raw materials have allowed its fighters to produce thousands of explosives, The Marker said.

The use of these devices has played a central role in attacks on Israeli troops, resulting in rising casualties among its forces operating in Gaza, it added.

The report warned that the price could be even heavier as Israel’s security Cabinet pushes to expand military operations in the Gaza Strip.

The reason behind the high failure rate of Israeli munitions is reportedly technical malfunctions. The intense pace of airstrikes has depleted the military’s supply of functional fuses—devices that trigger explosives—The Marker reported.

The report noted that the stock value of Aryt Industries, the Israeli company that produces detonators, has surged more than 2,000% since the war began.

Simple use, high risk

Due to depleted stocks, the Israeli army began using fuses sourced from various stockpiles or provided by the US, some of which are decades old. According to the report, while the average failure rate for Israeli bombs was previously around 2%, it has climbed to as high as 20% for certain Air Force munitions used in Gaza.

The Al-Qassam Brigades' method for using these unexploded bombs is reportedly straightforward. In some cases, they cut open the bomb, extract the explosive material, and transfer it to large metal containers to be used as an explosive device. In other cases, they use the bombs as-is, attaching a metal wire to trigger the explosion.

The report noted that the Al-Qassam Brigades are willing to accept casualties among its members due to “work accidents” during this process.

The army responds

In response to a request for comment from The Marker, a spokesperson for the army said the military “is making every effort to address the threat of unexploded ordnance in the Gaza Strip.”

The spokesperson claimed that “only a small percentage” of the tens of thousands of munitions launched failed to explode on their intended targets.

He added that the army is working to identify and destroy these unexploded bombs whenever possible.

Despite these claims, Israeli military remnants and unexploded bombs remain scattered across Gaza, posing an ongoing threat to civilians. Without proper equipment or resources to remove them, these munitions continue to cause fatalities, injuries and permanent disabilities.

Over 52,600 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023, most of them women and children.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin 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.