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Israel's Drone War: How IDF Uses UAVs in Gaza

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Fighting between the Israel Defense Forces and Hamas-led Palestinian militants in Gaza is shaping up to be among the deadliest-ever Arab-Israeli conflicts in the Jewish State's 75-year history. Israel is using a number of technologies, including unmanned aerial vehicles, to try to reduce attrition.
The IDF officially confirmed in late December that over 500 of its troops, along with nearly 60 police officers and ten Shin Bet intelligence personnel, had been killed to date since October 7, with hundreds more injured. With Israel's ground campaign in Gaza facing growing casualties, the IDF announced a "new phase" of the conflict this week featuring fewer sweeping deployments and more "targeted" raids and "surgical missions" - which apparently also includes a campaign of assassinations of Hamas leaders both in Israel and abroad. Hamas and its allies have taken the news as a sign that Tel Aviv's much-touted ground campaign in Gaza has been bogged down.
Israel has long seen reconnaissance, kamikaze and long-range strike drones as a key component of its military strategy, and is one of a handful of nations with a well-developed domestic drone development and production capability. Throughout the Gaza campaign and particularly amid the ground forces' advance, the IDF has turned to drones to be its troops' eyes and ears in the search for hidden Hamas fighters and tunnels in the ruins of the Palestinian enclave's cities.
The IDF has access to over a dozen different kinds of drones, from IAI Harpy loitering munitions and to IAI Heron medium-altitude long-endurance reconnaissance vehicles, small IAI Bird-Eye mini-UAVs used for military and paramilitary intelligence gathering, and General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper-style long-range strike drones called the Elbit Hermes 900.
© AP Photo / Leo CorreaAn Israeli soldier launches a drone near the Israeli-Gaza border in southern Israel, January 2024.
An Israeli soldier launches a drone near the Israeli-Gaza border in southern Israel, January 2024. - Sputnik International
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An Israeli soldier launches a drone near the Israeli-Gaza border in southern Israel, January 2024.
© AP Photo / Leo CorreaIsrael has a wide variety of drones in its arsenal, including small reconnaissance UAVs like the one pictured which can be disassembled and carried aboard light vehicles.
Israel has a wide variety of drones in its arsenal, including small reconnaissance UAVs like the one pictured which can be disassembled and carried aboard light vehicles. - Sputnik International
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Israel has a wide variety of drones in its arsenal, including small reconnaissance UAVs like the one pictured which can be disassembled and carried aboard light vehicles.
© AP Photo / Leo CorreaIsraeli Defense Forces short-range reconnaissance drone takes flight after being launched by a trooper with the help of a rope line.
Israeli Defense Forces short-range reconnaissance drone takes flight after being launched by a trooper with the help of a rope line. - Sputnik International
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Israeli Defense Forces short-range reconnaissance drone takes flight after being launched by a trooper with the help of a rope line.
© AP Photo / Leo Correa

An Israeli soldier checks a reconnaissance drone to ensure it's in working order somewhere near the Israel-Gaza border.

An Israeli soldier checks a reconnaissance drone to ensure it's in working order somewhere near the Israel-Gaza border. - Sputnik International
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An Israeli soldier checks a reconnaissance drone to ensure it's in working order somewhere near the Israel-Gaza border.

© AP Photo / Leo Correa

An Israeli soldier prepares to launch a drone near the Israeli-Gaza border.

An Israeli soldier prepares to launch a drone near the Israeli-Gaza border. - Sputnik International
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An Israeli soldier prepares to launch a drone near the Israeli-Gaza border.

© AP Photo / Leo Correa

IDF troops take stock of a pair of turboprop recon drones in an open field.

IDF troops take stock of a pair of turboprop recon drones in an open field. - Sputnik International
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IDF troops take stock of a pair of turboprop recon drones in an open field.

© AP Photo / Leo Correa

An Israeli troop stands against the silhouette of the Sun as he prepares a small spy drone for launch near Gaza.

An Israeli troop stands against the silhouette of the Sun as he prepares a small spy drone for launch near Gaza. - Sputnik International
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An Israeli troop stands against the silhouette of the Sun as he prepares a small spy drone for launch near Gaza.

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