Building booby-trap improvised explosive device

Also known as

booby-trapped building
booby-trapped house

Building booby-trap improvised explosive devices in the 2023 Israel-Hamas War were field-improvised traps hidden in homes and other structures across northern Gaza, using ordinary rooms, stairwells, closets, and debris to slow clearance teams and endanger troops.

Building booby-trap improvised explosive device, Improvised explosive device, Infantry Weapons

Image source: IED Baghdad from munitions

Role in Conflicts

Side: Hamas and Gaza-based armed groups

In the 2023 Israel-Hamas War, IDF footage showed Hamas fighters planting explosive devices and setting booby traps in a northern Gaza residence; AP, JPost, and Times of Israel reporting later described booby-trapped northern and southern Gaza buildings as hazards for returning residents and Israeli clearance teams.

Role details

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin: Gaza Strip
Built by: Hamas
Type: Improvised explosive device
Service note: 2023 Israel-Hamas War
Designer: Field-improvised by militant cells
Designed: 2023-present
Unit cost: Not publicly documented
Produced: 2023-present
Number built: Not publicly documented

Specifications

Initiation: Victim-activated or command-initiated
Concealment: Hidden in rooms, doorways, stairwells, floors, rubble, closets, or household objects
Purpose: Area denial and casualty infliction during building clearance
Fill: Repurposed ordnance or improvised explosive charges

Related Booby Trap Variants

UNMAS describes booby traps as hidden hazards placed around ordinary buildings and access points, and Gaza reporting also documented the same tactic at tunnel entrances.

Compatible item	Item type	Compatibility evidence
Booby trap	Broader booby trap concept	UNMAS defines booby traps broadly, and the Gaza reporting on northern buildings shows this entry as a building-specific example of the same tactic. Sources: Landmines, Explosive Remnants of War and IED Safety Handbook, Watch: Hamas Camera Footage Shows Terrorists Planting Explosive Devices and Setting up Booby Traps To Attack Troops, Hamas pivots to booby-trapping buildings as IDF advances in north Gaza, Palestinians return to their homes in northern Gaza for a second day
Tunnel-Entrance Booby-Trap Improvised Explosive Device	Tunnel-access trap	The IDF separately documented a booby-trapped tunnel entrance in Khan Yunis, showing the same access-point tactic applied underground in Gaza. Sources: Behind Rigged Tunnel Shafts and Blast Doors

Compatible item

Item type

Compatibility evidence

Booby trap

Broader booby trap concept

UNMAS defines booby traps broadly, and the Gaza reporting on northern buildings shows this entry as a building-specific example of the same tactic.

Sources: Landmines, Explosive Remnants of War and IED Safety Handbook, Watch: Hamas Camera Footage Shows Terrorists Planting Explosive Devices and Setting up Booby Traps To Attack Troops, Hamas pivots to booby-trapping buildings as IDF advances in north Gaza, Palestinians return to their homes in northern Gaza for a second day

Tunnel-Entrance Booby-Trap Improvised Explosive Device

Tunnel-access trap

The IDF separately documented a booby-trapped tunnel entrance in Khan Yunis, showing the same access-point tactic applied underground in Gaza.

Sources: Behind Rigged Tunnel Shafts and Blast Doors

Timeline

Building booby-trap improvised explosive device Key Events

Dec 22, 2023
IDF releases footage of booby-trap planting in northern Gaza
The IDF said camera footage from a civilian residence in northern Gaza showed Hamas fighters planting explosive devices and setting booby traps aimed at troops.
Sources: Watch: Hamas Camera Footage Shows Terrorists Planting Explosive Devices and Setting up Booby Traps To Attack Troops
Jan 4, 2025
JPost reports broad booby-trapping in standing buildings
The Jerusalem Post reported Hamas had shifted to booby-trapping almost every structure left standing as IDF forces advanced in northern Gaza.
Sources: Hamas pivots to booby-trapping buildings as IDF advances in north Gaza
Jan 28, 2025
AP reports booby-trapped buildings as residents return
AP reported that many northern Gaza buildings were still booby-trapped when displaced Palestinians began returning home.
Sources: Palestinians return to their homes in northern Gaza for a second day
Jun 8, 2025
Khan Younis building trap kills engineering soldiers
Times of Israel reported that four Israeli soldiers were killed and five wounded after entering a booby-trapped Khan Younis building to clear possible military infrastructure.
Sources: IDF names two other soldiers killed in booby-trapped Gaza building on Friday

Documented Placement Pattern

UNMAS guidance and Gaza reporting point to the same practical problem: booby traps were placed where people and troops would naturally enter or search first.

Setting	What sources documented	Why it mattered
Buildings and access points	UNMAS says booby traps are commonly hidden in buildings, doorways, staircases, and similar access points.	Turns ordinary entry routes into hazards during clearance.
Civilian residence footage	The IDF said camera footage showed Hamas fighters planting explosive devices and setting booby traps inside a civilian residence in northern Gaza.	Shows the tactic being used inside homes, not only at entrances.
Standing structures in northern Gaza	JPost reported Hamas booby-trapping almost every structure left standing as IDF forces advanced.	Suggests broad area denial across an urban block or neighborhood.
Returning-home phase	AP reported many northern Gaza buildings remained booby-trapped as displaced Palestinians returned.	Left a post-combat civilian hazard after front-line movement shifted.
Clearance-entry risk	Times of Israel reported that a booby-trapped Khan Younis building collapsed after Israeli soldiers entered to clear possible military infrastructure.	Shows how the trap could turn a building inspection into a mass-casualty event.