Gaza’s nightmare: Explosive robots bring death and destruction

Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported on the Zionist regime’s use of explosive robots, noting that over the past week, the occupying army has resorted to these robots in Gaza. Five robots detonated in the town of Beit Lahia, causing extensive destruction.

Explosive robots cause far greater devastation in residential areas of Gaza compared to airstrikes or artillery attacks and are deadly. These robots are built from a lightweight Israeli armored vehicle called the “M113.”

The robot is stationed in front of a hospital or a home, waiting for an unspecified time of detonation, sometimes remaining in place for hours or even days, robbing residents of sleep and forcing them to flee.

Al-Araby Al-Jadeed continued: It is estimated that the occupying regime possesses around 6,000 M113 armored vehicles, though it is unclear how many have been converted into remotely controlled explosive robots.

Each robot carries approximately five tons of explosives, and its detonation is akin to an earthquake, causing massive destruction, demolishing up to five neighboring homes. After the explosion, a cloud of smoke rises, and shrapnel and debris are hurled over long distances, endangering the lives of many residents.

Mahmoud Nasser, a Palestinian receiving treatment at Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, said: “The robot stopped in front of the hospital, and we were waiting for the moment of explosion. We spent the entire time looking out the window, unable to sleep that night. Everyone was holding their breath because its explosion would mean the complete destruction of the hospital and everyone inside. Everyone was terrified, especially the women and children. When the robot left in the morning, we breathed a sigh of relief.”

According to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Nasser, before being injured, had decided not to leave Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza and thus witnessed the explosions of these robots.

He added: “The sound of the explosion was terrifying, like an earthquake. The ground and walls were shaking. Residents knew from the movement of this armored vehicle that it was not ordinary—it was deadly. Previously, residents couldn’t tell it was a lethal vehicle. During one day of the war, one stopped in front of the Abu Ouda family’s home in Beit Hanoun. They thought it was a regular vehicle, but it exploded, and the entire seven-member family was martyred.”

Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported: Rescue and relief teams are completely helpless in the face of the destruction caused by these robots and lack the ability to reach the bodies of martyrs due to the scale of devastation.

Mohammad Tamous, a member of a rescue team, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed: “In November 2024, after 15 robots exploded in two streets in northern Jabalia camp, we went to the site after the occupiers withdrew and witnessed destruction caused by severe explosions. Two streets were almost completely obliterated, with residential blocks destroyed, resulting in dozens of martyrs.”

Although Tamous and his team were five kilometers from the explosion site, they heard the blast as if it had occurred nearby.

He added: “We saw a thick column of smoke covering the sky, and the explosion hurled rocks and dirt over long distances, some of which hit us. Many lost their hearing due to the intensity of the blast. When a robot explosion occurs, there’s nothing you can do because the area is completely leveled.”

Another Palestinian, Abu Nasser, spoke of the horrific conditions, saying: “We transferred injured people to the hospital who appeared healthy, but after medical examinations, it was revealed they had internal bleeding, which doctors attributed to the intensity of the explosion caused by the robot.”

Musab Shayyat, a Palestinian who relocated from northern Gaza due to explosive robots and heavy airstrikes, said: “My children were crying in fear, even though the explosions happened far away, it felt like they were near us. The occupiers use every tool to instill fear and destruction, but the robots are extremely destructive, completely demolishing an entire residential complex.”

Al-Araby Al-Jadeed added: Robot explosions have occurred in the towns of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahia, but their sound was heard by residents of Gaza City, including Shirin Moussa Hamdan, a 37-year-old woman, and her family.

Shirin, who witnessed the destructiveness of explosive robots while in Beit Hanoun, said: “Five explosive robots turned a multi-story house into a pile of rubble. Even though our home was far away, it sustained significant damage. If a tank fires a shell, you can escape or hide, but if you’re targeted by an explosive robot, it’s like facing a massive explosion that turns you, your home, and your neighbors’ homes into ashes and sends them into the air.”