The Killer Spy … Learn about the “dungeon” that threatens death in the sky of Gaza

For Muhammad al-Masri and the residents of the Gaza Strip, drones or reconnaissance aircraft, popularly known as “drones,” represent a bad omen. Their constant flight in the airspace of the small coastal strip portends death or ruin.

This small plane – which is almost invisible to the naked eye – is a key piece in the Israeli military arsenal since its widespread use in the Palestinian territories after the outbreak of the Al-Aqsa Intifada in the year 2000, according to Palestinian military and security experts. Read also She was on a “special mission” … Al-Qassam took control of an Israeli droneIsraeli-Emirati cooperation in anti-aircraft technology News that it was targeted by a Hezbollah missile … An Israeli drone was fired at over Lebanon

Israel uses different types of these aircraft in wars and escalation operations against Gaza, and its role in the current ongoing war that is ongoing for the ninth day in a row, whether in carrying out physical liquidations by bombing cars and people, or in the participation of war fighters in destroying residential and commercial buildings, is evident Its usual role in monitoring and gathering information.

Spy killer

Muhammad al-Masri, 28, had a personal experience with this plane that almost killed his life when he narrowly escaped death while he was walking near a civilian car in the city of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, which was hit by a missile fired by “Zanana” in the 2014 war.

Al-Masry told Al-Jazeera Net that in times of war, fear of this “cursed plane” increases, but its danger is constant at all times, “and even if it does not attack us, it is spying on us, as if it lives with us inside our streets and lanes, and its effect invades our homes and affects televisions and receiving channels.”

In short, this annoying dentist is a “killer spy”, and Israel uses it to spy on us or kill us, and in all cases it is very disturbing with its constant sound that causes headaches and raises anxiety, adds Al-Masry.

Palestinian experts say that Israel manufactures and tests various types of these aircraft in the Palestinian territories before promoting them and marketing them in the global arms markets.

Speed ​​and accuracy

An expert on security affairs, Muhammad Abu Harbeed, says that Israel is one of the oldest and most industrialized countries in the world and uses the reconnaissance plane, which later became called a “drone” due to the tremendous development it took on. Major.

Abu Harbeed added in his speech to Al-Jazeera Net, “With the continuous development that Israel is introducing on this plane, it has become carrying out 3 basic tasks: photography and tracking, assassination and physical liquidation, and directing aircraft carrying bombers.”

He explains that Israel relies heavily on this aircraft to carry out offensive operations, which require dealing with quick and accurate information.

In turn, the expert in military and strategic affairs, retired Major General Rafiq Abu Hani, cites an example of this in the assassination of the prominent military leader in the Al-Quds Brigades, the military arm of the Islamic Jihad Movement, Bahaa Abu Al-Ata, in late 2019, and it is believed that it was carried out by a “QuadCopter” that could carry a bomb. And turning it into a “suicide plane”, and being controlled remotely.

In September last year, the Israeli newspaper “Israel Today” published the details of the assassination, and said that it took place long after Abu Al-Ata was tracked down and monitored his daily movements with a drone, and it spoke widely about the role of this plane in collecting information and carrying out the operation.

Because of the military importance of this plane to Israel, the newspaper reported, according to a former Israeli official in charge of the movement of drones during the 2014 war, during which it carried out about 75% of the sorties.

Abu Harbid says that Israel relies on types of this plane that reach accurate targets and carry out its tasks “surreptitiously, abruptly and swiftly.”

Abu Hani explains to Al-Jazeera Net that one of the types is the “QuadCopter”, which is a small plane with 4 helicopters, which Israel brought into service about 3 years ago, and it is launched from anywhere by one person who controls it, and it is loaded with high-resolution cameras and equipped with a bomb.

And he says that Israel is constantly developing these aircraft, so that they become very fast, maneuverable and target-determined.

Types and functions

In June 2020, the Israeli Channel 13 revealed that the Department of Weapons Development in the Ministry of the Army, in cooperation with Air Industries, succeeded in manufacturing an almost paper-based drone, at a very low cost, as the length of the fuselage reached 1.65 meters and the width of the wings reached 1.5 meters. To carry a weight of up to 7 kg

Abu Hani says that Israel manufactures many types of these aircraft, the most famous of which are used in Gaza and the Palestinian territories, the “Quadcopter” and “Hermes 450”. This type is characterized by a high capacity for monitoring operations day and night, and it is loaded with 380 kilograms of explosives (6 missiles). It can fly for 30 hours continuously, and it is controlled from a distance of 1,000 kilometers.

This type of drones performs surveillance, reconnaissance and offensive missions, and according to Abu Hani, Israel is using them in its current war on Gaza to support combat missions and modify fighter and helicopter fire, and in carrying out espionage missions specifically targeting resistance factions, as well as carrying out offensive and liquidation missions. Physical.

And it became widely known to the people during the current raging war in Gaza that a missile from this plane on a building or facility means that an Israeli fighter will follow it after a few minutes with devastating missiles that level the target with the ground.

A clash of brains

While Israel uses advanced technology in the hostilities against the Palestinian people – especially in Gaza – the resistance works with simple means to reduce its danger and its ability to operate freely.

Abu Hani says that the resistance factions have more than once succeeded in “decoding” the “Quad-Cabter” plane and other types, penetrating and dropping its control panel, as well as shooting down other planes with sniper rifles, most notably a rifle developed by the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades and called “the Ghoul.”

In order to avoid the danger of these aircraft in tracking, surveillance and eavesdropping on communications, the Resistance worked to neutralize them by not using wireless means of communication, relying on a secure wired communication network, and reducing the level of movement and movement over the ground during the course of military confrontation operations.