Hamas deploying drones to kill Israeli civilians – report

Hamas terrorists are launching explosive drones against Israeli civilian targets in communities adjacent to the Gaza Strip.

By: World Israel News Staff

Hamas terrorists in Gaza are launching explosive drones against Israeli civilian targets in communities adjacent to the Strip, Ynet news reported Sunday.

The report recorded at least three instances in which Hamas drones dropped explosives inside an Israeli community on the Gaza border in recent weeks.

In May, for instance, Palestinians flew a booby-trapped drone into Israel.

No one has been injured in any of these incidents. Neither has any damage been caused.

This worrying trend is an innovation of Hamas’ fire kite and incendiary balloon terrorism, which has wreaked havoc in the area surrounding Gaza in recent months.

The report says that the IDF does not know how many explosive-carrying drones were sent over the last year from the Gaza Strip, how many of them made it back, and whether Israel should expect waves of explosive drones flying at it in the next war.

The report further speculates that an attack on an Iron Dome defense battery is one of Hamas’ main objectives and would serve as a symbol for them, and that such an attack could be carried out using a drone.

The IDF believes that Hamas will not dare send explosive drones and risk a military conflict and that it is currently at a testing phase.

According to data from Israel’s Crossings Authority at the Defense Ministry, 110 complete drones and 51 drone parts were seized on the way to Gaza in 2016. In 2017, 70 complete drones and 301 drone parts were seized. In 2018, 60 complete drones and 400 drone parts have been seized so far.

Most of the equipment was purchased online from companies like AliExpress.

According to data shown, Hamas considers the smuggling of drones a main effort, the report notes.

The Hamas terror organization, which rules the Gaza Strip, has attempted to penetrate Israeli airspace in the past with drones, most recently in August.

In February 2017, an Israeli Air Force (IAF) F-16 fighter plane shot down a Hamas-flown Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) over the Gaza Strip.

In June 2015, a Hamas drone crashed inside Israel.

In July 2014, a UAV flying from Gaza was shot down over Ashdod by a Patriot missile battery during Operation Protective Edge.

Hamas has been working for over a decade to develop aircraft that could be used for surveillance or attack missions.

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