Israeli Drone Warfare: Gaza as a Testing Ground for Advanced Military Technology
How Israel’s Drone Industry Uses Gaza as a Battlefield Laboratory for Surveillance, Targeted Killings, and Global Arms Marketing.
Watan-Following the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, the skies of the region have turned into a stage for Israeli military experiments, with multi-role drones used for assassinations, targeted killings, and intensive surveillance. This has effectively transformed the besieged enclave into an open-air laboratory for advanced military testing.
This report, prepared by Sanad—Al Jazeera’s investigative verification agency—sheds light on Israel’s aerial warfare tactics and focuses on its use of Gaza’s civilians as experimental subjects.
Based on open-source analysis and meticulous documentation, the report reveals the growing role of private companies in this field and how Israeli drones have become a key commodity in the global arms trade.
“Gaza: The Testing Ground for Israel’s Combat-Proven Drones
It also highlights the close collaboration between Israel’s military and private sector in developing, testing, and deploying drones specifically designed for targeted killings, surveillance, and experimental warfare.
This systematic use of Gaza as a testing ground has been openly promoted in forums like the UVID (Unmanned Vehicles Israel Defense) conference, where manufacturers showcase their drones as “combat-proven,” exploiting Palestinian blood as a marketing tool to attract international buyers.
The Israeli Drone Industry
Israel has an advanced drone manufacturing industry, with 30 Israeli companies producing 93 different models, reflecting rapid advancements in this sector.
These drones range from small reconnaissance aircraft to large attack systems capable of executing complex combat operations. They include multi-rotor drones, fixed-wing aircraft, hybrid vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) systems, helicopter drones, and suicide drones. The categories include:
- 38 types of multi-rotor drones used for reconnaissance, tactical tracking, and targeting.
- 32 types of fixed-wing drones providing longer endurance for reconnaissance and attack missions.
- 11 types of hybrid VTOL drones, combining the flexibility of vertical take-off with the efficiency of horizontal flight.
- 6 types of single-rotor helicopter drones used for payload transport and stationary surveillance.
- 6 types of suicide drones capable of hunting down and destroying targets with precision.
Gaza: A Testing Ground for Aerial Executions
Gaza has effectively become a real-world testing field for Israeli drones, where the latest military technologies are deployed against live human targets. These drones have not only been used to target resistance fighters but have also carried out direct strikes against civilians, including the bombing of homes, attacks on journalists, and even the killing of children, making daily life in Gaza unbearable.
Satellite images from October 19, 2023, show an Israeli Hermes 450 drone flying over Gaza (Source: Google Earth).
Beyond direct strikes, the psychological impact of drones is also profound, with their constant buzzing in the sky serving as a tool of psychological warfare, instilling fear and restricting movement, thereby creating an environment of constant terror and pressure on the population.
The report reveals that at least 9 Israeli companies have tested 15 different drone models in Gaza during military operations, including suicide drones, AI-powered attack drones, and autonomous reconnaissance systems.
These experiments have effectively turned Gaza into an open war laboratory, where the efficiency of these drones is assessed in real combat environments before being marketed globally.
Field Evidence of War Crimes
Video footage and field recordings from Gaza provide evidence of Israeli drone strikes targeting civilians, journalists, and residential homes.
Among these findings is the use of DJI Agras agricultural drones, originally designed for crop spraying, which have been modified to drop bombs on civilians. These drones have been transformed into deadly weapons in the hands of the Israeli military.
Israeli Drones Shot Down
During Operation Al-Aqsa Flood (October 2023 – January 2025), Palestinian resistance forces managed to shoot down or capture 173 Israeli drones, exposing weaknesses in Israel’s military technology.
According to field reports and visual evidence analyzed by Sanad, resistance fighters seized 75 intact drones, shot down 37, and hit 61 others without downing them.
Company records show that many of these drones were among the most advanced models, with some introduced into service as recently as 2024. The optical sensor alone in some drones is valued at $13,300, while the entire Chinese-manufactured drone costs approximately $14,000, making the total drone cost around $27,300.
Among the captured drones was the Thor Mini UAS, a high-endurance tactical drone produced by Flying Production, a subsidiary of Elbit Systems. This drone, designed for military reconnaissance and tactical operations, was shot down by Al-Qassam Brigades in February 2024, revealing a Chinese-made propulsion system (T-Motor Folding Carbon Prop) and an Israeli lithium-ion battery system (Amicell).
Other drones captured or downed include:
- EVO Max 4T (by China’s Autel Robotics),
- DJI Avata,
- Skylark I-LEX (by Elbit Systems).
Israeli drones have become a hot commodity in the global arms market, promoted as “combat-proven” in battle zones.
At the UVID 2024 conference, Israeli companies showcased combat footage from Gaza as proof of their products’ effectiveness. This direct marketing of war crimes demonstrates a blatant disregard for civilian lives, using them as subjects in military experiments.
The Israeli drone industry has evolved from a military sector into one built upon war crimes and civilian suffering, turning Gaza into an open war laboratory where new weapons are tested on human targets before being sold globally.
During the conference, private companies such as Elbit Systems, UVision, and Rafael cited combat scenarios, using drone strikes on civilians as a marketing tool to attract foreign buyers.
AI-powered drones like Lanius (by Elbit Systems) and Scorpio Quadrotor (by XTEND) have been tested in urban warfare environments, setting a dangerous precedent for automated executions.
The Alliance Between the Military and the Private Sector
The report exposes the deep connection between Israel’s drone industry and its military, with many manufacturers run by former military personnel, such as Percepto, CopterPix, and Aeronautics, ensuring that products are tailored to military needs and deployed for surveillance, targeting, and assassinations.
In a move to expand its aerial capabilities and reduce dependence on Chinese imports, Israel’s Ministry of Defense launched a tender last year worth hundreds of millions of shekels to procure 20,000 domestically manufactured drones.
In December 2024, the ministry signed $40 million contracts with Elbit Systems to supply the Israeli army with advanced drones and autonomous systems.
Emerging Israeli drone companies include Aeronautics, Airobotics, Tactical Robotics, and Smart Shooter, offering specialized solutions for surveillance, combat, and electronic warfare, enhancing Israel’s military capabilities in regional conflicts.
A post on the XTEND company’s website promotes the use of its drones by the Israeli army in the Gaza war.
The close relationship between the Israeli army and drone manufacturers is evident in the development of four main combat payloads:
- Advanced surveillance and targeting systems
- Weaponized drone systems
- Electro-optical guidance and identification systems
- Drone swarm technologies for coordinated operations
These companies openly advertise their products as “field-tested,” showcasing footage from Gaza and Lebanon as evidence of their effectiveness in systematic killings.
Intelligence Gathering and Surveillance
Israeli drones are not just weapons but also advanced intelligence tools providing continuous aerial surveillance over Gaza and Lebanon.
Targeted Strikes
Armed drones play a crucial role in Israeli military operations, equipped with precision-guided munitions, long-endurance flight capabilities, and AI-assisted targeting systems.
The primary uses of armed drones include:
- Targeted assassinations: Eliminating high-value targets, such as resistance leaders.
- Precision strikes: Conducting air raids in densely populated areas.
- Suicide drones: Designed to autonomously track and strike targets.
Meanwhile, drone-mounted firearms, such as SMASH Dragon (by Smart Shooter) and TIKAD (by Duke Robotics), represent a new form of aerial combat, where drones are armed with precision firearms for remote ground engagements.
