Gaza Herald — The war in Gaza has entered an even darker chapter. Israeli forces are now deploying booby-trapped armored vehicles, packed with massive explosives, to level entire neighborhoods in Gaza City.
This latest escalation reflects not only Israel’s intent to erase the city and forcibly displace its residents, but also the stark failure of the international system to stop what Palestinians and rights groups describe as an unfolding genocide in plain sight.
Euro-Med Monitor’s teams documented the detonation of ten such vehicles on Wednesday, 17 September, between residential homes in Street 8, south of the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood, a central area of Gaza City. At least three more exploded among houses on al-Nafaq Street to the east, and several others detonated near the Sheikh Radwan Pool in the city’s north. Unlike earlier incidents, which mostly took place at dawn, the Israeli military is now detonating these machines throughout the day and night, dramatically raising the risks for civilians.
The Israeli army has converted decommissioned American-made M113 armored personnel carriers into remotely operated bombs, each loaded with no less than seven tons of explosives. Once unleashed, they tear through densely populated neighborhoods. The tactic, reminiscent of methods once used by ISIS in Iraq and Syria, is now being deployed on a larger scale with far greater destructive capacity, yet without international condemnation or accountability.
Residents describe the explosions as apocalyptic. “We had become somewhat accustomed to air and artillery strikes, but these explosions feel like an earthquake every time,” said Khalil Islim, who lives near Street 8. “Debris flies hundreds of meters, the smoke and dust are overwhelming, and the destruction is immense.” Displaced mother Khadija al-Masri added: “Every time one of these robots explodes, I feel my soul leave my body. My children scream hysterically, and I can’t calm them because I’m screaming too.”
Each detonation can destroy around 20 housing units outright, meaning entire neighborhoods may vanish within weeks. The blasts are so powerful that they can be heard more than 40 kilometers away. Beyond the physical devastation, they impose a form of systematic psychological warfare, spreading fear, trauma, and a deep sense of helplessness across a population already battered by nearly two years of relentless bombardment.
Booby-trapped vehicles fall under the category of indiscriminate weapons prohibited under international humanitarian law, as their wide-scale blast effects inevitably target civilians and civilian property in violation of the principles of distinction and proportionality. Their use in populated areas constitutes a war crime, and when tied to the deliberate destruction of homes, forced displacement, and deprivation of essentials for survival, they meet the legal definition of crimes against humanity and genocide.
Yet these vehicles are only one element of a broader campaign: massive aerial strikes, artillery barrages, drone-dropped bombs, planted explosives inside buildings, and the bulldozing of what remains. Together, they form a systematic effort to erase Gaza City and make life uninhabitable for its people. Over 800,000 Palestinians in Gaza City now face starvation, displacement, and annihilation, while the world looks on.
The international community cannot continue to stand idle. The UN General Assembly must urgently convene under its “Uniting for Peace” mandate to bypass paralysis in the Security Council and authorize immediate protective measures, including a peacekeeping mission to halt Israeli attacks on civilians, secure the delivery of aid, and end the blockade.
States have not only a moral responsibility but also a binding legal obligation under the Genocide Convention to act. Every day of silence allows Gaza’s destruction to advance, and history will not forgive complicity in the face of such atrocity.
