Rising Hamas drone activity sparks concern among IDF reservists
"We were told they managed to smuggle drones during the ceasefire, when 600 trucks a day were coming in," a reservist in Gaza said.
There has been a recent uptick in drone usage by Hamas within the Gaza Strip, the IDF said Thursday. Earlier in the day, a soldier was moderately wounded and another was lightly wounded in northern Gaza in a drone attack.
A Hamas terrorist cell operated a drone over Israeli forces in the area and dropped a grenade on a unit positioned near buildings, the IDF said. The soldiers were hospitalized, and their families were notified.
Reservist soldiers reported the rise in drone threats in recent weeks, with Hamas using drones to gather intelligence on IDF movements and to carry out attacks.
“The working assumption is that they are gathering intelligence on us 24/7, using remote observation posts, binoculars, and drones,” a reservist soldier in Gaza said. “We report whenever we see drones in the area. We try to determine whether they are ours or belong to Hamas.
“This is a scenario that happened at the beginning of the war, disappeared for a while, and has now returned. There are ways to deal with it, but it’s concerning.
“We were told they managed to smuggle drones during the ceasefire, when 600 trucks a day were coming in. It might also have happened via aerial smuggling. If they can smuggle cellphones, drugs, and cigarettes, why not drones?”
IDF drone use also under scrutiny
“That’s not a positive sign. We were brought in to achieve a decisive outcome. Right now, it doesn’t feel like that. We’re waiting for the big mission.”Reservist soldiers also criticized the IDF’s drone operations, saying they sometimes rely on independent solutions to operate drones, with some drones funded through donations.
The Defense Ministry and Ground Forces Command had launched an accelerated procurement program to acquire various types of drones for different missions, IDF sources said, adding that the process takes time.
They cited an international competition for drone procurement and production lines, especially amid the global arms race.
