Any hope that the Egyptian and Qatari mediators had of forestalling Israel’s assault on Gaza City by negotiating a ceasefire agreement seems to have been misplaced, as Israeli troops intensified their attacks on Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood on Aug. 18. According to eyewitnesses speaking to Middle East Eye and local reports, the neighborhood has endured more than a week of deadly shelling and bombardment, with more than 400 homes demolished. The neighborhood’s residents have also reported Israel’s use of killer robots capable of demolishing entire residential blocks. One resident told MEE that robots roaming the neighborhood are “destroying everything around them” along with the intense shelling, and that civilians—young and old—are being targeted without reason. He also cited the use of booby traps and the apparent testing of new weaponry in the neighborhood, describing a deafening mix of bombing, robot explosions, booby-traps, and building detonations.