Quadcopter strikes: 1000 Palestinians killed by Israeli drones in one year

On May 21, as Israeli forces intensified their assault on Gaza's Jabalia refugee camp, Silah, a 52-year-old Palestinian woman took a white flag and led her family out, hoping to reach a neighbor’s house for refuge.

But as Silah stepped into the main street, a small drone appeared overhead. A single shot rang out, striking Silah in the head.

“She was falling in front of us and her head was covered in blood.” her brother described the moment of Silah’s killing to Euro-Med.

What killed Silah was a quadcopter, a small, remote-controlled drone armed with advanced lethal weaponry, which Israel has increasingly been deploying in its raids in Gaza.

It was neither the first nor the last time this lethal technology would be employed by Israel in the Palestinian enclave.

Under international humanitarian law, only combatants are considered legitimate targets, and targeting individuals based on suspicion or preemptive assumptions is illegal.

Yet the line seems blurred in Israel, whose official accounts on X recently triggered backlash when they shared a video claiming ‘there are no innocent civilians’ in Gaza.

Since the beginning of its ongoing genocidal war in October 2023, Israel has significantly expanded its use of quadcopters for premeditated strikes on Palestinian civilians.

To this day, reports continue to emerge of drones shooting “everyone that goes out” in Jabalia, the devastated refugee camp built for displaced civilians 75 years ago, as well as in other parts of Gaza.

The Israeli military claims that the devastating raid, having killed 45 Palestinians on its fifth day, aims to prevent Hamas fighters from regrouping in the camp.

Beyond the physical danger, Israel employs drones not only as weapons but as instruments of psychological warfare in Gaza.

The constant, unnerving buzzing, often called “Zanana”, creates a pervasive atmosphere of fear and anxiety among civilians, according to reports.

Some accounts also describe the use of recordings of crying women and children, broadcast to lure civilians out of their homes.

In a statement made public in April, a 20-year-old displaced Palestinian, who asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons, described his experience to Euro-Med:

Israel initially used quadcopters to spy on Palestinians in the occupied territories. However, over time it began to outfit them with weapons and explosives, allowing them to strike civilians in densely populated areas.

Measuring 1.6 metres and equipped with four propellers, quadcopters are, by design, capable of tracking their targets in narrow alleyways, effortlessly maneuvering both vertically and horizontally to track their targets.

According to Euro-Med, these drones are, in particular, deployed against civilians who try to “return and inspect their homes” after the Israeli forces have withdrawn from areas it has attacked.

Nabeel Rana, a vascular surgeon who volunteered in Gaza for three weeks also confirmed the use of small drones to kill civilians at a press conference on August 20.

“We saw the quadcopters targeted children. We saw young men targeted with rifle shots to their thighs to try to require amputation of their legs,” he said.

“There were quadcopters targeting men in their groins and genitals. They would come in with no other injuries and would lose their testicles. They're healthy young men, but they will never have kids.”

Quadcopters have killed approximately 1,000 Palestinians in Gaza, including 350 women and 150 children, according to a recent statement from the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza.