According to Haaretz, the trucks transporting the waste are owned by private companies. IDF officers say the decision was made by army commanders and warn that Hamas could exploit the waste for its own purposes. The IDF, however, claims it is unaware of the practice
Yaniv Kubovich. October 26, 2025
The Israeli army has been dumping large amounts of waste, rubble and especially construction debris into Gaza from the Israeli side of the border, according to information and footage obtained by Haaretz.
In several recently recorded videos, trucks can be seen leaving Israel near the border and entering Gaza loaded with construction waste. The trucks cross the Kissufim crossing and drive roughly 200 to 300 meters (about 980 feet) into Gaza, where they unload the rubble along the roadside before returning empty to Israel. On the Israeli side, excavators reload the waste onto the same trucks, which then repeat the process.
The waste consists of vast quantities of construction debris and garbage left behind by the IDF during the war, following the establishment of dozens of bases and command posts that served as staging points for forces near the border. At these sites, the army carried out infrastructure work, cleared buildings and built fences, roads and concrete barriers.
According to IDF officers who spoke with Haaretz, field commanders decided to dispose of the waste inside Gaza. One officer said orders were given to allow trucks owned by private Israeli companies to enter the Strip and dump their loads wherever they saw fit.
“We’ll have mountains of garbage right in front of our homes for the rest of our lives, inside Gaza,” a soldier serving in the Strip who lives in one of the kibbutzim near the border told Haaretz. “What’s the logic in taking thousands of tons of waste and dumping it just a few hundred meters from our houses?”
Another officer familiar with the issue said, “Beyond the fact that it’s disgraceful, it’s hard to believe this is what the army is dealing with. They’re dumping construction debris full of iron, irrigation pipes, and concrete blocks – materials Hamas will end up using for its own purposes.”
One of the soldiers Haaretz spoke with said he had asked his commanders why the waste was being dumped randomly inside Gaza instead of a proper disposal site. According to him, the commanders replied that since foreign countries would soon enter Gaza to begin reconstruction, they would also deal with the waste the IDF had left behind.
The Israeli military said it was unaware of the actions described in the story.