In the six weeks leading up to the October 10 ceasefire, Israel extensively deployed M113 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) packed with between one and three tons of explosives, according to a Reuters investigation. The use of these vehicles, combined with airstrikes and armored bulldozers, devastated large portions of Gaza City, particularly the Tel-al-Hawa and Sabra districts, satellite images and drone footage reviewed by Reuters show.
Hesham Mohammad Badawi, a Gaza City resident, recounted the destruction of his five-story home on Dawla Street in Tel-al-Hawa. An APC explosion on September 14 completely demolished the building, leaving him and 41 family members homeless. “We didn’t recognize this as our house,” Badawi told Reuters. He described hearing at least five APCs detonate in rapid succession and said his family escaped “by a miracle” amid explosions and heavy gunfire. Satellite imagery analyzed by Reuters confirmed widespread damage in the surrounding area.
Reuters spoke with Israeli security sources, a retired brigadier, reservists, Gazan authorities, and military experts to compile a detailed account of APC-based demolitions. Experts estimated that the vehicles carried ordnance comparable in force to Israel’s largest airborne bombs, including U.S.-made Mark 84s. The blasts could hurl debris hundreds of meters and destroy nearby structures, potentially forcing floors upwards and causing buildings to collapse entirely.
The practice marked a shift in Israel’s tactics after shortages of heavy bombs and armored bulldozers limited conventional demolition methods. Reuters reporting found that the increased use of APCs coincided with U.S. restrictions on Mark 84 bomb transfers and paused sales of Caterpillar D9 bulldozers, traditionally used in demolitions. Retired Israeli brigadier Amir Avivi called the tactic an “innovation of the Gaza War.”
The legal and humanitarian implications of the APC attacks have been questioned. Two international law scholars and the U.N. human rights office told Reuters that detonating large explosives in densely populated areas may violate principles of distinction and proportionality under humanitarian law. Reuters reported that Israel has not provided evidence that the targeted buildings were used for military purposes, despite claims of Hamas booby traps, which Hamas denies.
Satellite analysis by Reuters showed that roughly 650 buildings were destroyed in Tel-al-Hawa, Sabra, and surrounding neighborhoods between September 1 and October 11, 2025. Structures demolished included residential buildings, commercial properties, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights office, parts of the Islamic University of Gaza, and a mosque on campus. Residents described the explosions as resembling earthquakes.
Israel’s military told Reuters it was committed to rules of war and said engineering equipment was used only for “essential operational purposes.” The military also stated that targets were reviewed prior to attacks and selected to “achieve the military objective while minimizing collateral damage.” Reuters could not independently verify the military rationale or the total number of APC detonations during the period.
The Reuters investigation provides new evidence of the unprecedented use of repurposed armored vehicles as massive explosives and highlights the human and legal consequences of this tactic. Residents like Badawi now live in tents among the rubble of neighborhoods that were once bustling with schools, businesses, and cultural centers, as the scale of destruction reshapes Gaza City months after the war.
