The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are accused of routinely killing unarmed civilians in Gaza using modified commercial drones to drop grenades from above. Interviews with seven soldiers, conducted by investigative journalists from +972 Magazine and Local Call, reveal troubling tactics employed to deter civilians from entering areas deemed off-limits by the military. Reports indicate that these operations often result in fatalities among individuals who pose no threat, including children.
According to the testimonies, the IDF does not mark these restricted zones on the ground, increasing the risk for civilians unaware of the dangers. All Palestinians killed in these operations are reportedly classified as “terrorists” in the IDF’s official reports, a characterization that the soldiers contest. One soldier, identified as “S,” stated that during a 100-day deployment in Rafah, his unit conducted numerous drone attacks, leading to the deaths of mainly unarmed civilians. He noted that in only two cases did they encounter armed individuals, reinforcing the claim that the overwhelming majority of casualties were innocent.
“There’s no question,” S. explained. “None of them were armed, and nothing was ever found near their bodies. We never fired warning shots. Not at any point.” Disturbingly, the bodies of those killed were often left unattended, allowing animals to scavenge them. “You could see it on the drone footage,” S. said. “The dogs have learned to run toward areas where there’s shooting or explosions — they understand it probably means there’s a body there.”
In a separate account, another soldier, “H,” expressed that the criteria for identifying a threat were alarmingly broad. “Were they aimed at armed militants? Definitely not,” he said. “Once a commander defines an imaginary red line that no one is allowed to cross, anyone who does is marked for death.” This method reflects a concerning shift in military operations, where drones facilitate the killing of civilians from distances of several kilometers.
The soldiers described how drones have transformed the act of killing into a detached process, likening it to a video game. “You send a drone up 200 meters high, and you can see three to four kilometers in every direction,” Y. stated. “The first one gets hit with a grenade, and after that, the word spreads.” The drones used in these operations are primarily modified EVO models from Autel Robotics, which are significantly cheaper than military-grade alternatives, costing around $3,000 compared to $2 million for the Elbit Hermes 450.
Autel Robotics has clarified that it has not supplied drones to the Israeli military, emphasizing that it finds any association of its products with violence against civilians “utterly unacceptable.” The ongoing operations have led to a forced depopulation of areas, coinciding with recent announcements from Israel’s defense minister regarding plans to establish a “humanitarian city” in Rafah for the entire population of Gaza.
The growing testimonies from IDF soldiers paint a stark contrast to the Israeli Prime Minister’s assertion that the IDF is “the most moral army in the world.” The revelations challenge the narrative that has long surrounded military operations in Gaza, raising profound ethical questions about the conduct of warfare and the treatment of civilians in conflict zones.
