The IDF has begun using tiny multi-rotor drones in Gaza to drop tear gas on protesters marching on the security fence every Friday, according to a report in the Arab media.
Last Friday, Beirut-based television station Al Mayadeen, which is affiliated with Hezbollah, documented an Israeli drone dropping tear gas on demonstrators in Gaza near the security fence.
The IDF uses drones for a variety of purposes, chief among them to gather intelligence on its borders and beyond – in Syria and Lebanon in the north and Gaza and Sinai in the south – as well as in Judea and Samaria. These drones are customarily fitted with cameras to document enemy movement and developments on the other side of the border.
Hamas has recently intensified its call to Gaza's residents to march to the security fence with Israel after Friday prayers and confront IDF soldiers. These demonstrations have escalated over the past several weeks, reaching a boiling point in mid-February when an explosive device wounded four Israeli soldiers patrolling the security fence.
Thus far, the IDF has deployed snipers to counter the fence protests in Gaza. The use of drones armed with tear gas could help the army disperse the demonstrators before they ever reach the security fence.
