Terror groups increasingly turn to booby-traps and explosives – Analysis

The terrorist groups attacking Israel, particularly Hamas, are turning to the use of explosive devices and boobytraps increasingly. This is true in Gaza and the West Bank. On August 25, the IDF announced that Master Sgt. (res.) Shlomo Yehonatan Hazut was killed in Gaza.

He was killed by an explosive hidden on a road in Gaza. The IDF cleared the area, but the terrorists were still able to carry out the attack. This illustrates the growing threat of explosive devices and booby traps. These types of devices are called improvised explosive devices, or IEDs.

According to Israel’s Ynet, Hazut “is the seventh soldier to fall in Gaza in four days. Four of the fatalities were killed when IEDs detonated.” Hazut was in the IDF’s Battalion 9207 of the 16th brigade. The IDF had conducted the correct procedures in the area where the explosion happened.

“An initial probe revealed that an infantry force was on the hunt for Hamas underground tunnels and infrastructure on a path that was cleared by heavy machines of the Engineering Corps. An IED was likely missed and was detonated remotely by terrorists hiding in a tunnel,” the report noted.

In another incident, Staff Sgt. Amit Tsadikov of the Paratroopers Brigade’s 202nd Battalion was also killed by an explosive device on August 24. In another incident on August 23, an explosive device was detonated near IDF soldiers in Gaza’s Zeitoun neighborhood near the Netzarim corridor. This area has been cleared numerous times in the past.

In the incident on Friday morning, Aust 23, several soldiers from the Jerusalem Brigade’s 6301st battalion were hit by an explosive device planted on the outside of a building they were searching in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood. Two soldiers were killed and seven injured.

The use of IEDs in Gaza has been growing over the last few months. Hamas has reverted to this method, along with other terror groups in Gaza, as a way to fight the IDF without confronting the IDF using armed fighters.

This is because Hamas lacks the manpower it had back in October. It is now going to ground and using the terrain to its benefit. It knows the area, so it can quietly sneak into homes and areas and leave explosives behind. It has been using this method increasingly.

Terror groups are also increasing their use of explosives in the West Bank, in areas such as Nur Shams near Tulkarm, as well as Jenin and other areas. In addition, they may be seeking to expand the war into other areas of Israel. For instance on August 18 there was an attempt by a resident of Nablus to carry out a bombing in Tel Aviv.

In addition, on the evening of August 25, the IDF noted that “a short while ago, an explosive device was detonated on a civilian bus.” The bus was traveling in an area east of Efrat. “IDF soldiers are blocking routes and conducting searches for the suspects in the area,” the IDF noted.

The IED threat is growing, and it is growing on multiple fronts

This includes the attempt by Hamas and other groups in Gaza to revert to using this type of weapon, while groups in the West Bank are also turning their attention to explosive devices.

The overall trend is not unique in the history of terror groups and insurgencies. In Iraq, during the Iraqi insurgency against US forces, the use of IEDs was common. Iran helped Iraqi groups improve their explosive devices as well, working with groups to create explosively formed penetrators (EFP), which are used against vehicles.

Iran backs Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Iran is also increasingly behind attempts to smuggle weapons into the West Bank. As the war continues in Gaza and groups in the West Bank seek to increase their attacks, it is likely they will turn to explosives increasingly as part of their arsenal.