Direct proof of use
Explosively formed penetrator IEDs appeared in Hamas service during the 2023 Israel-Hamas War under the Shawaz designation. FDD's Long War Journal reported on October 15, 2023 that the Israel Defense Forces had seized a Gaza weapons cache from Hamas that included black cone- and disk-shaped Shawaz devices assessed as armor-piercing EFPs; the report said the cone-shaped devices were identified by the IDF as Shawaz charges for use against armored fighting vehicles.
A November 2023 IDF display for international press provided additional conflict-specific evidence. The Jerusalem Post and The Media Line reported that the displayed equipment included the Shawaz anti-tank explosive and said it had been used to break into protected shelters and safe rooms during the October 7 attack.
Sources: Long War Journal Hamas EFP Cache, Jerusalem Post Hamas Weapons Display
Dated battlefield reporting
After Israel's Gaza ground campaign began, ISW and the Critical Threats Project tracked repeated Palestinian militia claims involving Shawaz EFPs. Their December 31, 2023 Iran Update said the Qassam Brigades claimed to detonate a Shawaz EFP in Tuffah and al Daraj, targeting five Israeli vehicles, and described EFPs as improvised devices designed to penetrate armored vehicles.
Other ISW/CTP daily updates attributed additional Shawaz EFP claims to the Qassam Brigades in northern Gaza, including a December 1 report of a claimed attack on an IDF tank and a December 21 report of a claimed attack on an Israeli tank north of Jabalia City. These entries are useful as dated use claims, but they should be read as attributed militant statements unless separately corroborated by imagery, damage assessment, or an opposing-force confirmation.
Sources: ISW Iran Update December 31 2023, CTP Iran Update December 1 2023, CTP Iran Update December 21 2023
Role in the conflict
The Gaza evidence places the EFP IED in an anti-armor and ambush role rather than a general explosive category. The Long War Journal cache analysis connected the seized cone-shaped Shawaz devices to armored-fighting-vehicle targets, and the ISW/CTP updates recorded claims against Israeli tanks and vehicles during urban ground combat.
The same sources also separate possession from use. The October 2023 Gaza cache establishes that Hamas had Shawaz EFPs in the theater, the November press display connects the Shawaz explosive to October 7 assault use against protected spaces, and the later ISW/CTP entries document claimed battlefield employment against Israeli armor in Gaza.
Sources: Long War Journal Hamas EFP Cache, Jerusalem Post Hamas Weapons Display, ISW Iran Update December 31 2023
