The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor issued a statement on Monday, highlighting the alarming use of booby-trapped robots by the Israeli occupation army in northern Gaza. These robots, equipped with significant explosives, are being employed to inflict widespread destruction and loss of life, including acts categorized as massacres, willful killings, enforced starvation, and forced displacement.
Israel’s military has effectively isolated the northern Gaza Governorate from Gaza City by deploying military vehicles, erecting sand barriers, and using the rubble of destroyed homes, all while maintaining fire cover from drones. This siege has now entered its tenth day, resulting in the deaths of over 300 Palestinians during the ongoing operations.
According to numerous testimonies collected by Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, the Israeli army’s use of remotely detonated booby-trapped robots has caused extensive damage to nearby homes and buildings while leading to significant civilian casualties, especially as the operations of civil defense and ambulance crews have been largely disrupted.
The use of these booby-trapped robots is considered illegal under international law, as they are deemed indiscriminate weapons that cannot be directed at military targets without also threatening civilians. Their deployment in residential areas is a violation of international humanitarian law and constitutes a crime against humanity.
One witness, whose identity has been protected for security reasons, described the devastation in the Al-Qassabi neighborhood near Jabalia camp: “On Wednesday evening (9 October), a huge explosion occurred… The sound of the explosion was louder than the sound of air strikes… It was subsequently discovered that this explosion was caused by a robot equipped with tons of explosives, destroying roughly six or seven houses at once.”
Euro-Med Monitor’s field team reported additional robot explosions in the Tawam and Zahraa neighborhoods, as well as near the Abu Ali Mustafa intersection in Bir al-Naja.
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Another individual trapped in the Faluja area recounted: “There were huge explosions near the Al-Sharafi roundabout… More than 50 people are currently besieged in a house, three of whom were injured but could not be transferred to the hospital.”
The Israeli army first began utilizing these robots in Gaza during a second incursion into Jabalia camp last May, leading to numerous civilian deaths and the destruction of many homes. By the end of May, images surfaced showing two booby-trapped robots prepared to explode in the Tamraz Station area.
The Israeli military has adopted a multi-faceted approach to its operations, employing aerial bombardments, booby-trapped robots, and explosives planted in homes, all contributing to the destruction of residential buildings in northern Gaza.
Estimates indicate that over 200,000 people are currently living in the debris of destroyed homes and makeshift shelters in the northern Gaza Governorate, as many refuse to comply with Israel’s systematic displacement orders. In just one week, Israeli forces issued at least six evacuation orders directing residents to move south.
Additionally, approximately 200,000 people in the Gaza Governorate are facing starvation and ongoing bombardment due to the blockade of essential supplies. Collectively, over 400,000 individuals in northern Gaza are at risk of forced starvation, displacement, and other forms of violence.
Despite evacuation orders instructing residents to flee south via Salah al-Din Street, Israeli forces have targeted individuals attempting to leave their homes or shelters. Moreover, numerous shelters have been struck by Israeli aircraft, injuring many who had been displaced.
