Remotely operated explosive robots deployed by the Israeli regime across Gaza have caused devastating civilian casualties and massive destruction.
Ayman Qadourah, a resident returning to his neighborhood in southern Gaza, discovered a disabled armored vehicle—an “explosive robot” used to demolish entire residential blocks—beneath the ruins of his former home.
Following the October 10 ceasefire, thousands of families began returning to Khan Younis, joining more than 435,000 displaced Palestinians who have moved northward from overcrowded camps in the south.
Many returnees have found their neighborhoods flattened, filled with debris, twisted metal, and unexploded Israeli ordnance where homes once stood.
“With nowhere else to go, I pitched our tent over the robot,” Qadourah told Al Jazeera.
He said a neighbor’s house also contained an explosive device, while F-16 missiles had gouged craters around the area.
“Unexploded devices like that are a serious hazard,” Qadourah said.
“If any flammable liquid comes close to it, the flames will be massive, sky high.”
Fearing a single detonation could destroy an entire neighborhood, Qadourah regularly covers the machines with sand to minimize the risk.
In early September, Gaza’s Government Media Office reported that the Israeli regime detonated over 100 explosive-laden robots during the final three weeks of August.
A satellite assessment by the United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) showed that more than 42,000 buildings across Khan Younis were damaged, including 19,000 within the city itself.
Across Gaza, UN data indicate that over 227,000 housing units have been affected, leaving hundreds of thousands of Palestinians homeless.
Qadourah said residents who remain in southern Gaza “will not budge until a permanent solution is reached” for the housing crisis.
While humanitarian agencies have increased deliveries of food, tents, and fuel since the ceasefire, the Israeli regime continues to severely restrict aid flows.
The international goal of sending 600 relief trucks into Gaza daily remains far from reality, as the enclave struggles with devastation and despair.