“ICSPR” Issues a Fact Sheet Revealing the Criminal Use of Explosive Robots and Prohibited Weapons in the Destruction of Civilian Objects and the Killing of Civilians in the Gaza Strip
Date: October 1, 2025
Press Release
“ICSPR” Issues a Fact Sheet Revealing the Criminal Use of Explosive Robots and Prohibited Weapons in the Destruction of Civilian Objects and the Killing of Civilians in the Gaza Strip
The International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (ICSPR) issued an expanded fact sheet and investigative report prepared by researcher Lubna Theeb, titled: “The Criminal Use of Booby-Trapped Robots by the Israeli Occupation in the Destruction of Civilian Objects and the Killing of Civilians.”
The paper examines, from a legal, humanitarian, and rights-based perspective, one of the most dangerous crimes committed by the Israeli occupation between October 7, 2023, and September 2025: the deployment of weapons of mass destruction and explosive robots in densely populated civilian areas, as part of a clear policy of genocide and forced displacement.
The report affirmed that the Israeli assault on Gaza is the deadliest and most destructive of the 21st century, not limited to killing, starvation, and displacement, but also marked by the use of internationally prohibited weapons—most notably explosive robots—that were directed into densely populated neighborhoods and detonated with tons of explosives capable of leveling entire residential blocks.
The paper clarified that these practices are not mere military actions, but rather the practical implementation of the so-called “Generals’ Plan,” aimed at depopulating the Strip and enforcing large-scale forced displacement.
The paper seeks to document and expose these violations and their blatant breaches of international law, while calling for:
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Inclusion of these crimes in the files of the International Criminal Court.
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Enabling international organizations to present evidence and defend civilians’ rights.
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Rejecting Israeli justifications and demanding accountability of Israeli leaders for war crimes and genocide.
The report reviewed international legal frameworks, affirming that the four Geneva Conventions (1949) and the Additional Protocols (1977) explicitly stipulate:
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Distinction between civilians and military targets.
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Prohibition of weapons that are indiscriminate or cause unnecessary suffering.
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Obligation of parties to take precautions to protect civilians.
It also referred to customary international humanitarian law (ICRC – 2005), including:
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Rule 70: Prohibits weapons that cause superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering.
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Rule 71: Prohibits weapons that are indiscriminate by nature or effect.
The paper stressed that the use of explosive robots and other lethal weapons constitutes a flagrant violation of these principles, amounting to a war crime and a crime against humanity.
Weapons Used
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Howlet and Yazid missiles: designed for use in densely populated environments.
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76 mm naval guns mounted on German frigates.
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MK-84 and GBU-39 bombs, used in the bombing of Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital and Rafah camp.
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DIME bombs packed with tungsten and heavy metals, causing amputations and fatal deformities.
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Explosive robots: retrofitted M113 APCs or small ground robots loaded with tons of explosives, remotely controlled to demolish entire residential buildings.
Explosive Robots in Detail
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Capable of erasing an entire neighborhood, with blasts reaching up to 300 meters and triggering cascading collapses.
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Explosions audible up to 40 kilometers away, with shrapnel spreading across 500 square meters.
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Equipped with vacuum and thermobaric bombs producing circular destruction up to 150 meters.
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7–10 robots deployed daily inside Gaza.
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First use recorded in Jabalia – May 2024.
Statistics
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65,382 martyrs and 166,985 injured since the beginning of the assault, including 12,823 martyrs and 54,944 wounded after the ceasefire violation (March 2025).
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15,000+ massacres, with 2,700 families completely annihilated.
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Destruction of approximately 330,500 housing units and 102,067 buildings in total.
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88% of Gaza’s buildings destroyed, with losses exceeding $62 billion.
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Forced displacement estimated at over 400,000 Palestinians (Gazan sources cite approx. 200,000).
Testimonies of Survivors
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Ahlam: “We were in a building near where the robot was placed. We heard an indescribable, massive explosion. Shrapnel flew everywhere, screams filled the air, toxic smoke spread, and the blast nearly deafened us.”
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Journalist Yusra Al-Aklouk described scenes of the detonation and how the explosion turned an entire neighborhood into rubble.
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The paper also cited testimonies from social media, especially the page Hinds Call, which documented the terror of robot explosions in crowded residential areas.
Catastrophic Consequences
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Mass killings and permanent injuries (amputations, blindness, disabilities).
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Severe burns and deformities.
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Physiological damage and chronic diseases (nervous system, kidneys, congenital defects).
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Severe psychological trauma in children and women (100% of children suffer psychological disorders).
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Long-term environmental pollution (water, air, soil).
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Total destruction of critical infrastructure (hospitals, schools, mosques).
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Forced displacement under a scorched-earth policy.
The paper concluded that events in Gaza have gone beyond military operations to become a systematic genocide lasting over 717 days, aiming to seize land and resources, particularly the “Marine” gas field.
It stressed that Israel’s continued impunity is due to the absence of international political will, despite growing recognition of the urgent need to end the occupation.
The paper urged the following actions:
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Formation of an international fact-finding committee to investigate the use of explosive robots.
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Immediate action by the International Criminal Court to prosecute Israeli officials.
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Urgent entry of humanitarian aid and medical supplies, with safe passage corridors.
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Empowering Palestinian civil society to document and litigate.
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Arab and international pressure to end the war and lift the blockade.
The report concluded that the use of booby-trapped robots represents a dangerous precedent in the history of warfare, laying the foundation for a new model of genocide crimes, and that the responsibility to halt this practice and hold perpetrators accountable rests with the international community as a whole.
