Direct proof of use
The M113 is documented in Israeli use during the 2023 Israel-Hamas War as both an unmanned vehicle platform and an explosive-laden demolition vehicle. A May 2024 Jerusalem Post report described social-media video and photos said to show an unmanned Israeli M113 near Rafah, with the vehicle moving in semi-urban terrain during the Rafah operation.
Israeli and international reporting later described a more explicit explosive-demolition role. Ynet reported that the Israel Defense Forces used old M113 armored personnel carriers loaded with large quantities of explosives and remotely detonated them in Gaza to clear booby-trapped areas before troops entered. A Reuters account republished by The Jerusalem Post said Israel had widely deployed M113 armored personnel carriers repurposed to carry explosives in the weeks before the October 10, 2025 Gaza ceasefire, with Reuters footage and expert review tying wreckage in Gaza City to at least two exploded APCs.
Sources: JPost Unmanned M113 Report, Ynet Explosive-Laden M113 APCs, Reuters Explosive APC Investigation
Timeline
Public reporting first placed unmanned M113s in the Gaza campaign during the Rafah operation in late May 2024. The Jerusalem Post described claimed imagery of an unmanned M113 near Rafah and said such vehicles were reported to have played a role around the Philadelphi Corridor.
By late 2024 and 2025, reporting focused on explosive-laden M113s used as remote demolition vehicles. Ynet reported that loud blasts heard across central Israel came from old M113 APCs packed with explosives and detonated in Gaza. In September 2025, The Jerusalem Post reported that IDF Southern Command had increased use of older M113 models rigged with explosives as Gaza City operations approached. Reuters later investigated the September-October 2025 period in Gaza City and reported wide use before the October 10 ceasefire.
Sources: JPost Unmanned M113 Report, Ynet Explosive-Laden M113 APCs, JPost APCs Packed With Explosives, Reuters Explosive APC Investigation
Operational role
The documented Gaza role was not conventional troop transport. Israeli reporting framed the vehicles as obsolete M113 hulls repurposed for force-protection and assault-support tasks: remotely operated or towed into contested areas, loaded with explosives, and detonated to reduce risks to troops entering built-up or booby-trapped areas. The Jerusalem Post reported engineering-officer descriptions that the blasts were intended to neutralize explosive devices, destroy surveillance equipment, and eliminate nearby hostile squads.
Palestinian, NGO, and international reporting described the same category of vehicles as explosive-laden robots or booby-trapped armored vehicles used in residential areas. Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said its field team documented intensified Israeli use of armored explosive-laden robots in Gaza City and Jabalia and identified the vehicles as including outdated M113 APCs. Anadolu, citing local media, reported on September 16, 2025 that old M113 APCs packed with explosives were remotely driven into Gaza City and detonated inside residential areas.
Reuters added source-backed detail on scale and effects while preserving uncertainty about individual incidents. Its investigation, republished by The Jerusalem Post, said Reuters spoke with Israeli security sources, Gazan authorities, residents, and military experts; the report estimated one to three tons of ordnance in the vehicles based on cabin space and wreckage, described a September 14, 2025 destruction account on Dawla Street in Tel al-Hawa, and noted that satellite imagery alone could not determine the specific cause of each destroyed building.
Sources: JPost APCs Packed With Explosives, Euro-Med Explosive-Laden Robots, Anadolu Gaza City Armored Vehicles, Reuters Explosive APC Investigation
