Gaza City: The Israeli military has intensified its deployment of booby-trapped armoured vehicles in Gaza City, causing widespread destruction and forcibly displacing residents, according to Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor.
In a statement on Wednesday, September 17, Euro-Med said its teams documented at least ten detonations in Street 8 of Tel al-Hawa, three more in al-Nafaq Street to the east, and several in the Sheikh Radwan Pool area of northern Gaza.
The vehicles, converted from decommissioned American-made M113 personnel carriers, are remotely operated and each carries no less than seven tonnes of explosives.
The explosions generate shockwaves that shake surrounding buildings and cause lasting psychological trauma for residents.
Khalil Islim told Euro-Med Monitor, “We had become somewhat accustomed to air and artillery strikes, but these explosions feel like an earthquake every time. Debris flies hundreds of metres, the smoke and dust are overwhelming, and the destruction is immense.”
Displaced mother Khadija al-Masri told Ejdk her children scream in terror whenever the explosions happen. “I try to calm them, but I often find myself screaming too,” she said.
Rights monitors warn that every detonation can destroy up to 20 housing units, raising fears that whole neighbourhoods could be erased within weeks. The explosions are so powerful they have been heard more than 40 kilometres away, beyond the Gaza Strip.
The Gaza government media office said 3,542 Palestinians have been killed since the start of Israel’s ground offensive on Gaza City, with nearly half of the victims from areas previously described as “safe zones.”
Euro-Med Monitor emphasised that the use of booby-trapped vehicles in populated areas constitutes a war crime and may amount to crimes against humanity or acts of genocide.
The organisation called for urgent international intervention, including the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force to protect civilians, guarantee humanitarian aid, and facilitate reconstruction.
Over 800,000 residents of Gaza City now face existential threats from ongoing bombardment, forced displacement, and starvation, while international response remains limited.
Israel’s Gaza offensive has killed at least 64,600 Palestinians since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.
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