Palestinian media sources have reported that the Israeli occupation forces are planting explosive barrels in neighborhoods of Al-Falouja, west of Jabalia camp in northern Gaza, to destroy residents’ homes.
According to sources from Gaza, the occupation forces have besieged dozens of families in Al-Falouja, where a significant number of women, children, and the wounded are trapped. Medical teams are unable to evacuate the injured due to continuous targeting by Israeli drones and artillery.
The same sources confirmed that the Israeli forces are shooting at anyone attempting to move in the areas of Jabalia Al-Balad, An-Nazla, Beit Lahia, and Beit Hanoun.
Ismail Thawabteh, Director-General of the Government Media Office in Gaza, stated that the Israeli military is using “explosive robots and booby-trapped barrels as part of ethnic cleansing” in northern Gaza, continuing the ongoing genocide since October 7, 2023.
Thawabteh further explained that “remotely operated robots are being increasingly deployed; these devices navigate the streets and homes of Palestinians and cause massive human and material losses through their explosions in a brutal manner of annihilation.”
He emphasized that “these robots are systematically destroying the infrastructure and residential areas, leaving behind widespread devastation in the targeted zones, along with numerous martyrs and injuries.”
Thawabteh noted that “the occupation doesn’t stop there. They also plant or drop plastic containers resembling those used for storing cleaning supplies or bottled water, which are rigged with explosives and detonated as civilians approach them.”
He highlighted that “these tactics have increased the number of martyrs in northern Gaza, where the occupation targets civilian gatherings with these remote-controlled explosive containers.” Thawabteh also revealed that “the Israeli army is using quadcopter drones to fire heavily on anyone moving in northern Gaza as part of their military operation.”
Thawabteh stressed that “the use of such deadly tools reflects the occupation’s intent to commit acts of genocide against the Palestinian people.”
On Saturday, Anadolu Agency reported, citing a security source, that this weaponry was first used during the previous assault on Jabalia camp in May, when Palestinians discovered an Israeli armored personnel carrier moving between residential homes.
Palestinian fighters initially believed the vehicle was manned and attacked it, leading to a massive explosion in the area, only to later discover that it was a “robot carrying explosive fire barrels.”
On Sunday, Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor announced that the Israeli army’s use of “explosive robots loaded with tons of explosives” during its destruction and killing operations in northern Gaza constitutes a violation of international law.
