'Beware of booby-trapped robotic tanks': Unmanned vehicles in Rafah sparks Palestinian imagination

Palestinian accounts on social media have been buzzing with news of the Israeli tank incursion into central Rafah, with many users reporting seeing Israeli forces in the city. However, much of the discourse has been focused on the introduction of a new kind of vehicle allegedly spotted by eyewitnesses, named by eyewitnesses “robotic” or “electronic” tanks.

Users were confused as to the functions of this mysterious vehicle. Some said that these are robots checking for the presence of land mines, which would soon be followed by forces; others said they are tank-like robots advancing in the area to explore it and scare citizens away from the streets.

“We just arrived at Zoroub Square and inquired about the situation. It turned out that there were army robots, not manned tanks, arriving after Rabaa from the direction of the axis,” wrote one eyewitness.

At the same time, another reported, “Robotic tanks are centering near Za’rab in Rafah.” One user claimed, “These tanks are used to blow up buildings. They sweep the area in order to advance, as they did in Jabalya.”

Al-Jazeera claims Israel using 'boody-trapped' robots as part of incursion

Some were relieved by the rumors of unmanned vehicles, but many others were, in fact, even more alarmed, spreading rumors and allegations of more malicious objectives of these machines. One contributor to the feelings of fear was Qatari news outlet Al-Jazeera, which claimed that the IDF is using “booby-trapped robots” during its incursion into Gazan cities, publishing an “exclusive video” of what appears to be an unmanned vehicle and then zooming in to show it exploded after a short cut of the video.

One report even claimed that the Palestinian Islamic Jihad managed to neutralize a “booby-trapped tank.” Another user replied to someone who showed signs of relief that “a robot is not an Atari game, it also shoots and explodes!” while another one added that “these are booby-trapped robots that look like tanks.”

Likewise, Palestinian influencer Hamza Al-Masri posted pictures of Israeli tanks, warning his 660,000 followers that “these robot tanks entered Jabalya camp before and exploded. These are booby-trapped tanks. Please be careful and stay away from them. There are no armed clashes; the sound of gunfire is being issued by the tanks themselves at the Zoroub roundabout, west of Rafah.”

Regardless of the nature of these unmanned vehicles, some users also claimed that the usage of such robotic tanks only proves ‘the fear and panic in the hearts of the Zionists’ who are looking for methods to reduce loss of life.