Explosive-laden Gazan drone found in southern Israel
The army says the drone was recovered whole after being located in the Shaar HaNegev Regional Council.
By ANNA AHRONHEIMUpdated: MAY 28, 2018 23:23A drone seen at a Hamas rally, marking 27 years since the movement's establishment.(photo credit: HAMAS TV)
A drone armed with explosives was launched from the Hamas-run Gaza Strip and fell in the South last week, the IDF confirmed on Monday.The drone, which was launched from the northern Gaza Strip at night, was recovered intact “a few days ago” after it landed in the Sha’ar Hanegev region, the IDF said.According to a report in Haaretz, the IDF is examining whether the drone was fired in the direction of soldiers and missed or if its operator lost control of it.Both Islamic State and Hezbollah have used weaponized drones to carry out attacks.Since Operation Protective Edge in 2014, Hamas has invested in drone capabilities. In recent years, its drones have occasionally come near or breached Israeli airspace, leading the IDF to scramble jets or fire missiles.Both Islamic State and Hezbollah have used weaponized drones to carry out attacks.Since Operation Protective Edge in 2014, Hamas has invested in drone capabilities.In recent years, its drones sometimes have come near or breached Israeli airspace, leading the IDF to scramble jets or fire missiles.In February 2017, a Hamas drone that was making its way toward Israel from the Gaza Strip fell into the sea after being shot down by an IAF F-16. The previous year, Hamas’s chief drone expert and engineer, Muhammad Zouari, was assassinated in Tunisia in an operation blamed on the Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence agency.According to Izzadin Kassam (Hamas’s military wing), Zouari had been supervising its drone program and was gunned down in his car near his home close to the city of Sfax.
In 2012, during Operation Pillar of Defense in Gaza, the IDF said it struck Hamas facilities that were being used to develop drones capable of carrying explosives. Then-OC Southern Command Maj.- Gen. Tal Russo said at the time that the IDF destroyed “advanced weaponry like the development of a UAV that isn’t used for photography but for attacks deep inside Israel.”Gazans have been protesting along the border with Israel for the past seven weeks as part of what organizers have called the “Great March of Return.” Demonstrators have been throwing stones, firebombs and rocks at soldiers and flying incendiary kites toward Israeli territory with the aim of arson.Hadashot TV news reported Saturday night that 300 incendiary kites have been flown into Israeli territory from Gaza since April 13, causing more than 100 fires and destroying hundreds of acres of agricultural fields.On Sunday, three Palestinians were killed when IDF tanks shelled an observation post in the southern Gaza Strip after an improvised explosive device hidden in bolt cutters was placed on the security fence.The Palestinian Maan News Agency had earlier quoted the Gazan Health Ministry as saying 116 Palestinians have been killed by IDF fire and more than 13,000 wounded since the protests began on March 30.Another three were killed on Sunday.
