Mon Jul 14 10:15:01 UTC 2025: **FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

**Israeli Soldiers Using Weaponized Civilian Drones to Target Palestinian Civilians in Gaza, Investigation Finds**

**GAZA STRIP** – An investigation by Israeli outlets 972 Magazine and Local Call has revealed that Israeli soldiers are weaponizing commercially available, Chinese-made drones to attack Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip. The drones, equipped with grenade-dropping mechanisms, are reportedly being used to force Palestinians from their homes and prevent them from returning to areas they have been displaced from.

The investigation, based on interviews with seven Israeli soldiers and officers, alleges that soldiers are manually operating the drones to drop grenades on civilians, including children. According to the report, these attacks are not preceded by warning shots and often target unarmed individuals.

One soldier, identified only as S, stated that he coordinated drone attacks in a Rafah neighborhood that had been ordered evacuated. He claimed that those targeted were unarmed civilians attempting to return to their homes and that the army deliberately targeted children in some instances. Soldiers admitted they sometimes let stray dogs eat the dead and filmed from afar. The soldiers claimed they did not allow bodies to be collected.

According to the report, the use of these drones is widespread within the Israeli military in Gaza. Soldiers are using mostly Evo drones produced by the Chinese company Autel, which are sold commercially for about $3,000 and used by photographers. With a military-issued attachment known internally as an ‘iron ball’, a hand grenade can be affixed to the drone and dropped with the push of a button to detonate on the ground.

The motivation behind these attacks, according to the soldiers interviewed, is to “teach Palestinians, through blood, not to return.” The relatively low cost and ease of use of these drones, compared to military-grade equipment, make them a readily accessible tool for individual platoons.

Units in Gaza are crowdfunding in Israel and the United States to buy more of these drones, posting videos to thank donors for their contributions, the report said.

The revelations come amid growing criticism of Israel’s military actions in Gaza, which have resulted in the deaths of at least 58,026 Palestinians and the wounding of 138,520 since October 2023. The Israeli military’s drone attacks have been described as part of Israel’s war on Gaza.

**END**

Read More