Direct proof of use
Weaponized construction machinery appeared on both sides of the 2023 Israel-Hamas War. In Israel's Gaza campaign, The Jerusalem Post reported from the Erez area in December 2023 that Israeli Combat Engineering Corps units used armored D9 bulldozers after October 7 to restore border defenses, build dirt berms, clear access routes into Gaza, neutralize explosive devices, and support maneuver in areas such as Jabalya. Associated Press later described the Israeli military engineering corps using bulldozers to clear routes, bring down buildings treated as threats to troops, and support operations against Hamas' underground tunnel network.
Hamas-led attackers also used construction equipment during the October 7 attack from Gaza. ABC News, using video-confirmed crossing points, reported that a bulldozer arrived at the fence near Nir Oz and widened an existing breach as people moved through it. Human Rights Watch separately verified videos from the battle for the Sderot police station and reported that a bulldozer demolished the southern portion of the station during Israeli efforts to retake it.
Sources: Jerusalem Post Gaza D9 Report, AP Gaza Destruction Report, ABC Hamas Attack Reconstruction, HRW October 7 Attacks Report
Timeline
On October 7, 2023, Hamas-led forces crossed the Gaza-Israel barrier at multiple points; ABC News identified video-confirmed crossings and reported bulldozer use to enlarge a fence breach near Nir Oz. That same day, HRW's later video analysis placed bulldozer demolition at the Sderot police station during the prolonged battle after Palestinian fighters seized the building and Israeli forces counterattacked.
Israeli combat-engineering D9 use followed immediately after the attack. The Jerusalem Post reported that an Israeli engineering officer's unit arrived at the border area on October 9, repaired or reinforced breaches, built berms to block vehicle movement, and then supported the October 27 ground offensive by clearing routes and neutralizing threats. In January 2024, Ynet reported that the IDF had begun using unmanned Panda D9 bulldozers in Gaza for complex engineering work without crews onboard; in April 2025, Times of Israel/AFP reported limited RobDozer deployment in operations against Hamas.
Sources: ABC Hamas Attack Reconstruction, HRW October 7 Attacks Report, Jerusalem Post Gaza D9 Report, Ynet Panda Gaza Report, Times of Israel RobDozer Report
Israeli combat-engineering role
The Israeli use pattern was combat-engineering rather than a tank-like direct-fire role. The D9-family machines were used as protected earthmoving platforms: rebuilding border obstacles after October 7, opening routes for infantry and armor, flattening terrain or vegetation that could conceal explosive devices or anti-armor teams, preparing protected areas, and supporting demolition or tunnel-related work. The IDF's own D-9 explainer describes the armored D-9 as a Combat Engineering Corps vehicle with added armor, a rear ripper for concrete obstacles, and remote-control use in the most hazardous operations.
The unmanned D9 variants extended that role. Ynet reported in January 2024 that the IDF was operating Panda bulldozers in Gaza for tasks including path opening in rough terrain, obstacle removal, dirt barriers, tank firing positions, and building demolition. Times of Israel/AFP later described RobDozer as a remotely operated D9-family engineering vehicle that had begun limited deployment in IDF operations against Hamas, part of a broader effort to reduce troop exposure in Gaza.
Sources: Jerusalem Post Gaza D9 Report, How Does the D-9 Save Lives?, Ynet Panda Gaza Report, Times of Israel RobDozer Report
October 7 breaching and recapture uses
The Hamas-linked use was improvised barrier breaching rather than a standardized military bulldozer variant. ABC's reconstruction described militants crossing by several methods and noted the later arrival of a bulldozer at the Nir Oz-area fence breach, where it enlarged the opening after the initial incursion. Guardian News also published October 7 footage titled as a bulldozer tearing down a section of the Israel-Gaza border fence.
Bulldozers also appeared in the Israeli response inside southern Israel on October 7. HRW's report on Palestinian armed groups' attacks verified footage around Sderot police station and reported that videos later that night showed a bulldozer demolishing the southern part of the station amid the Israeli counterattack. The HRW passage supports the documented use of a bulldozer in the battle but does not identify the exact bulldozer model.
Sources: ABC Hamas Attack Reconstruction, Guardian Border Fence Video, HRW October 7 Attacks Report
