Palestinians report increased flights by Israeli combat drones
GAZA CITY — The Israel Air Force was said to have increased its use
of unmanned aerial vehicles in the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian sources said the air force increased UAV operations in
reconnaissance and attack missions in the Gaza Strip, Middle East Newsline reported. The sources said the
use of UAVs was meant to avoid being struck by Hamas surface-to-air missiles
against Israeli manned aircraft.
"Hamas has developed methods to strike low-flying helicopters with both
SAMs as well as other weapons," a Palestinian source said.
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On Thursday, an Israeli UAV fired missiles toward Hamas fighters in the
southern Gaza Strip. The sources said the unidentified UAV launched missiles
that killed four Palestinians in Abasan and Bani Suheila. Over the last
week, more than 20 Palestinian fighters were said to have been killed.
Israel has never confirmed the use of combat UAVs in the Gaza Strip. An
Israeli spokeswoman said the missiles were fired from a helicopter.
The Palestinian sources said Israel has used several models of UAVs in
combat missions in the Gaza Strip. They said the missiles fired were smaller
than standard air-to-ground weapons.
Hamas was said to have acquired about 100 SAMs over the last year, the
sources said. They said most of the missiles were believed to be the
Russian-origin SAM-7, with a range of 3.5 kilometers.