Smoke rises over Gaza’s Beit Lahia following Israeli strike on 28 May 2025. [Getty]
The Israeli military is reportedly detonating vehicles loaded with tons of explosives to destroy infrastructure in Gaza, triggering explosions that were heard as far away as Jerusalem, more than 70 kilometres away.
The sound was heard across the Negev desert on Monday while Israelis living in the centre of the country reported that the force of the blasts caused their windows to shake.
Speculation in Israeli media suggests that the huge explosions are being caused by armoured personnel carriers (APCs) filled with explosives and detonated inside Palestinian neighbourhoods.
The Israeli military has recently begun using so-called “suicide APCs” – remote-controlled armoured vehicles that are used to accelerate the destruction of infrastructure without deploying soldiers into the field.
Each APC reportedly carries several tons of explosives, producing huge shockwaves that can be heard kilometres away.
The military has been using the vehicles since launching its expanded offensive in Gaza on 17 May, according to Israeli media.
The devices have been deployed particularly in the towns of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahia. Last month, five were detonated in Beit Lahia in just one week.
Israel has destroyed or damaged more than three-quarters of Gaza’s buildings, including 90 percent of housing units and most of its hospitals and schools.
Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s far-right finance minister, recently vowed to completely destroy what remains of Gaza and force the Palestinians from their land.
Military leaders on Sunday ordered a widening of the offensive to capture more territory in Gaza’s north and south. The army currently controls 40% of the enclave, and wants to occupy 75% of the land by the end of July.
Israeli forces have killed at least 54,470 Palestinians since beginning their genocidal assault on Gaza in October 2023. Thousands of others are believed to be buried beneath the rubble.
