How Israel’s multi-ton truck bombs ripped through Gaza City
Israel extensively used M113 armored personnel carriers packed with tons of explosives to demolish buildings in Gaza City before the October 10 ceasefire, leveling neighborhoods like Tel-al-Hawa and displacing hundreds of families. Satellite imagery and eyewitness accounts reveal widespread destruction, raising concerns over potential violations of humanitarian law.
In the weeks leading up to the Gaza ceasefire on October 10, Israel widely deployed a new weapon: M113 Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs) modified to carry between 1 and 3 tons of explosives, Reuters found.
As Israeli troops advanced toward central Gaza City, these powerful bombs, alongside airstrikes and armored bulldozers, leveled entire blocks of buildings, according to drone footage and satellite images.
In most cases, residents fled ahead of demolitions after Israeli warnings, sources including residents, Israeli security officials, and Gaza authorities said.
Hesham Mohammad Badawi’s five-story home on Dawla Street in the affluent Tel-al-Hawa neighborhood, already damaged by an earlier airstrike, was completely destroyed by an APC explosion on September 14, leaving him and 41 family members homeless. Badawi, a few hundred meters away at the time, said he heard at least five APCs detonate in five-minute intervals. He received no evacuation warning, and his family escaped “by a miracle” amid explosions and heavy gunfire.
Satellite images show several buildings in the same block were also demolished around that time. The family is now staying with relatives across the city, while Badawi lives in a tent near the site of his former home. Israel’s military did not respond to Reuters’ questions about the incident, and Reuters could not independently verify all details of Badawi’s account.
When Reuters visited in November, debris from at least one APC was still visible among the rubble. “We could not believe this was our neighborhood, our street,” Badawi said.
To document the use of APC-based bombs in Tel-al-Hawa and the neighboring Sabra district during the six weeks before the ceasefire, Reuters spoke with three Israeli security sources, a retired Israeli military brigadier, an Israeli reservist, Gazan authorities, and three military experts.
Seven Gaza City residents said their homes—or those of neighbors—were leveled or severely damaged by the explosions, which several described as feeling like an earthquake. Analysis of Reuters footage confirmed wreckage from at least two exploded APCs in Gaza City.
Experts estimated Israel packed 1 to 3 tons of explosives into each APC, likely including non-military ammonium nitrate or emulsion. Such blasts could rival the power of Israel’s largest U.S.-made 2,000-pound Mark 84 bombs, scattering debris hundreds of meters and potentially collapsing multi-story buildings.
APCs are typically used to transport troops and equipment on the battlefield. Military experts told Reuters that using them as bombs was highly unusual and risked excessive damage to civilian dwellings.
In response to Reuters’ detailed questions, Israel’s military said it remained committed to the rules of war. Regarding the destruction of civilian infrastructure, it said its “engineering equipment” was used only for “essential operational purposes” without further detail. Decisions, it said, were guided by military necessity, distinction, and proportionality.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem told Reuters the demolitions aimed at displacing Gaza residents, which Israel denies. Retired Brigadier-General Amir Avivi described the tactic as an “innovation of the Gaza War.” One Israeli security source said the weapon partly addressed U.S. restrictions on heavy Mark-84 bombs and Caterpillar bulldozers.
Before the war, Tel-al-Hawa and Sabra were bustling neighborhoods with bakeries, shopping malls, mosques, banks, and universities. Now, large parts lie in ruins. Satellite imagery analysis showed about 650 buildings destroyed in Sabra, Tel-al-Hawa, and surrounding areas between September 1 and October 11.
International law experts, the U.N. human rights office, and military analysts said using such large explosives in dense residential areas may have violated humanitarian law, which prohibits attacks on civilian infrastructure and the use of disproportionate force.
“The claim that some buildings were booby-trapped is not enough to justify mass destruction,” said Ajith Sunghay of the U.N. Human Rights Office. Buildings may lose legal protection if used for military purposes, but Israel has not provided evidence, experts said.
The scale of destruction reflects a broader trend: 81% of Gaza’s buildings suffered damage or destruction during the war, according to the U.N. Satellite Center. The Gaza City area alone saw approximately 5,600 newly affected structures.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel used APCs because Hamas had placed explosives in “just about every building” in evacuated areas. Hamas denied these claims.
Israeli forces entered Gaza City in August aiming to eliminate Hamas and free hostages taken during the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. Full evacuation of the city was ordered in September. As troops advanced, backed by tanks and airstrikes, eastern suburbs were heavily damaged. Hundreds of thousands fled south, while an estimated 600,000–700,000 remained.
Israel’s Defense Ministry said soldiers demolished 25 towers believed to have Hamas tunnels or lookout points. The U.N. human rights office said Israel provided no evidence for these claims.
Among the destroyed buildings were the al-Roya tower, housing the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, al-Roya 2, and parts of the Islamic University of Gaza. In one six-block corner of Tel-al-Hawa, nearly every building—over 60 in total—was demolished.
Gaza Civil Defense said the army detonated hundreds of APCs during the conflict, with as many as 20 per day, though Israel did not provide official numbers.
Experts described APC fragments scattered across properties, including tracks weighing hundreds of kilograms, as consistent with large internal explosions. The M113, bought from the U.S. after the Yom Kippur War, had been largely mothballed due to insufficient protection for soldiers.
The increased use of APCs followed U.S. pauses in Mark-84 bomb deliveries and shortages of Caterpillar D9 bulldozers, a key demolition tool. Israel adapted by repurposing APCs to meet operational needs, according to sources.
Danny Orbach, an Israeli military historian, told Reuters that demolitions were necessary due to tunnels and booby traps, with the military underprepared for complex urban combat. Israel stated that targets were reviewed to “achieve the military objective while minimizing collateral damage.”
- Dawoud Abu Alkas, Miro Maman, Maayan Lubell, Fadi Shana, Bassam Masoud, Mai Shams El-Din, Hams Rabah, Mohammad Salem/Reuters
In the weeks leading up to the Gaza ceasefire on October 10, Israel widely deployed a new weapon: M113 Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs) modified to carry between 1 and 3 tons of explosives, Reuters found.
As Israeli troops advanced toward central Gaza City, these powerful bombs, alongside airstrikes and armored bulldozers, leveled entire blocks of buildings, according to drone footage and satellite images.
In most cases, residents fled ahead of demolitions after Israeli warnings, sources including residents, Israeli security officials, and Gaza authorities said.
Hesham Mohammad Badawi’s five-story home on Dawla Street in the affluent Tel-al-Hawa neighborhood, already damaged by an earlier airstrike, was completely destroyed by an APC explosion on September 14, leaving him and 41 family members homeless. Badawi, a few hundred meters away at the time, said he heard at least five APCs detonate in five-minute intervals. He received no evacuation warning, and his family escaped “by a miracle” amid explosions and heavy gunfire.
Satellite images show several buildings in the same block were also demolished around that time. The family is now staying with relatives across the city, while Badawi lives in a tent near the site of his former home. Israel’s military did not respond to Reuters’ questions about the incident, and Reuters could not independently verify all details of Badawi’s account.
When Reuters visited in November, debris from at least one APC was still visible among the rubble. “We could not believe this was our neighborhood, our street,” Badawi said.
To document the use of APC-based bombs in Tel-al-Hawa and the neighboring Sabra district during the six weeks before the ceasefire, Reuters spoke with three Israeli security sources, a retired Israeli military brigadier, an Israeli reservist, Gazan authorities, and three military experts.
Seven Gaza City residents said their homes—or those of neighbors—were leveled or severely damaged by the explosions, which several described as feeling like an earthquake. Analysis of Reuters footage confirmed wreckage from at least two exploded APCs in Gaza City.
Experts estimated Israel packed 1 to 3 tons of explosives into each APC, likely including non-military ammonium nitrate or emulsion. Such blasts could rival the power of Israel’s largest U.S.-made 2,000-pound Mark 84 bombs, scattering debris hundreds of meters and potentially collapsing multi-story buildings.
APCs are typically used to transport troops and equipment on the battlefield. Military experts told Reuters that using them as bombs was highly unusual and risked excessive damage to civilian dwellings.
In response to Reuters’ detailed questions, Israel’s military said it remained committed to the rules of war. Regarding the destruction of civilian infrastructure, it said its “engineering equipment” was used only for “essential operational purposes” without further detail. Decisions, it said, were guided by military necessity, distinction, and proportionality.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem told Reuters the demolitions aimed at displacing Gaza residents, which Israel denies. Retired Brigadier-General Amir Avivi described the tactic as an “innovation of the Gaza War.” One Israeli security source said the weapon partly addressed U.S. restrictions on heavy Mark-84 bombs and Caterpillar bulldozers.
Before the war, Tel-al-Hawa and Sabra were bustling neighborhoods with bakeries, shopping malls, mosques, banks, and universities. Now, large parts lie in ruins. Satellite imagery analysis showed about 650 buildings destroyed in Sabra, Tel-al-Hawa, and surrounding areas between September 1 and October 11.
International law experts, the U.N. human rights office, and military analysts said using such large explosives in dense residential areas may have violated humanitarian law, which prohibits attacks on civilian infrastructure and the use of disproportionate force.
“The claim that some buildings were booby-trapped is not enough to justify mass destruction,” said Ajith Sunghay of the U.N. Human Rights Office. Buildings may lose legal protection if used for military purposes, but Israel has not provided evidence, experts said.
The scale of destruction reflects a broader trend: 81% of Gaza’s buildings suffered damage or destruction during the war, according to the U.N. Satellite Center. The Gaza City area alone saw approximately 5,600 newly affected structures.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel used APCs because Hamas had placed explosives in “just about every building” in evacuated areas. Hamas denied these claims.
Israeli forces entered Gaza City in August aiming to eliminate Hamas and free hostages taken during the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. Full evacuation of the city was ordered in September. As troops advanced, backed by tanks and airstrikes, eastern suburbs were heavily damaged. Hundreds of thousands fled south, while an estimated 600,000–700,000 remained.
Israel’s Defense Ministry said soldiers demolished 25 towers believed to have Hamas tunnels or lookout points. The U.N. human rights office said Israel provided no evidence for these claims.
Among the destroyed buildings were the al-Roya tower, housing the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, al-Roya 2, and parts of the Islamic University of Gaza. In one six-block corner of Tel-al-Hawa, nearly every building—over 60 in total—was demolished.
Gaza Civil Defense said the army detonated hundreds of APCs during the conflict, with as many as 20 per day, though Israel did not provide official numbers.
Experts described APC fragments scattered across properties, including tracks weighing hundreds of kilograms, as consistent with large internal explosions. The M113, bought from the U.S. after the Yom Kippur War, had been largely mothballed due to insufficient protection for soldiers.
The increased use of APCs followed U.S. pauses in Mark-84 bomb deliveries and shortages of Caterpillar D9 bulldozers, a key demolition tool. Israel adapted by repurposing APCs to meet operational needs, according to sources.
Danny Orbach, an Israeli military historian, told Reuters that demolitions were necessary due to tunnels and booby traps, with the military underprepared for complex urban combat. Israel stated that targets were reviewed to “achieve the military objective while minimizing collateral damage.”
- Dawoud Abu Alkas, Miro Maman, Maayan Lubell, Fadi Shana, Bassam Masoud, Mai Shams El-Din, Hams Rabah, Mohammad Salem/Reuters
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