Israeli quadcopters, the hi-tech weapon menacing Palestinian civilians
An Israeli quadcopter is seen over Gaza in 2018
Maha Hussaini reports in Middle East Eye on 24 January 2024:
For decades, Palestinians have become accustomed to death from above. Israel’s arsenal of aerial platforms include warplanes, such as the F16, Apache attack helicopters and combat drones. These have been used to great effect on the urban environment in both the occupied West Bank and Gaza.
The ongoing war on Gaza, however, has brought about a new development – one used to target individuals and groups of people from close quarters. For the first time in the Palestinian territories, remote-controlled quadcopters have been deployed on a large scale against suspected Palestinian fighters and civilians.
The technology is increasingly taking the place of soldiers on the ground and serves to identify targets, target individuals and secure areas where Israeli troops are stationed. Quadcopters can also be used to scout forward positions, target people in their homes and disperse crowds in public areas.
The Palestinians of Gaza are now more than familiar with the weapon and the devastation it can cause. In the months since the conflict began on 7 October, quadcopters have been used in attacks against hundreds of civilians in crowded areas, killing and injuring dozens at a time.
Al-Rasheed Street massacre
One of the most notable incidents involving the use of quadcopters was during the massacre on 11 January at Al-Rasheed street near the Gaza City coast. Middle East Eye spoke to several witnesses, who said quadcopters opened fire on hundreds of people who had gathered there to wait for the arrival of aid trucks.
“We heard that trucks loaded with food and aid were going to pass through Al-Rasheed street,” said 42-year-old Qassem Ahmed, a resident of northern Gaza. “Since we’ve been cut off from aid and food for around three months, we run after the aid trucks to try and get as much food as possible,” he added, during a conversation with Middle East Eye.
“I left home with my 18-year-old son at around 8am. We went to Al-Rasheed Street on foot because there were no cars, and the roads were too damaged for animal-drawn carts.” Ahmed and his son got to the area where the aid was expected at around 9am and there was already a crowd of hundreds there.
Around an hour later, before the trucks had arrived, Ahmed and the other Palestinians in the area were set upon by the Israeli military. “We were taken by surprise by the heavy gunfire coming from above, there were quadcopters shooting directly at the crowd,” he said.
“We started running in all directions. Within a few seconds, dozens of people fell and we could not stop to help or pull them up because the shooting continued.” According to eyewitnesses, more than 40 people were immediately killed and dozens others were injured in the incident.