Palestinian militant group Hamas has released a short video of an improvised attack drone, also known as a kamikaze drone, launched during a Saturday morning surprise attack on Israel.
The 22-second-long video posted on Sunday by the militant group to social media shows several launch sites of improvised kamikaze drones hiding in the resident building and storage facilities.
The Izzedine al Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, claimed on Sunday that they launched more than 25 kamikaze drones, including Al-Zawari wing-type, that destroyed Israeli targets, including vehicles and equipment.
The effectiveness of the use of Hamas kamikaze drones packed full of explosives is not yet known.
⚡️Hamas publishes scenes of the "Al-Zawari" suicide drone that entered service and participated in the crossing of the troops into occupied territories pic.twitter.com/LQNlunhhUh
— War Monitor (@WarMonitors) October 8, 2023
Kamikaze drones in action with Hamas. GGs Hamas. #PalestineForever#PalestineResists
pic.twitter.com/CGLu0w0paV— Sukhoi Slayer 🇵🇰🇵🇸 (@TurgotandNecker) October 8, 2023
Video obtained from social media appears to show such a drone flying over a street in the southern Israeli city of Sderot.
Hamas launched kamikaze drones, heading towards, Sderot, Israel. pic.twitter.com/lIPhvSEfpX
— I’m No Angel (@HappyCamper2626) October 8, 2023
Kamikaze drones, or suicide drones, are a type of aerial weapon system. They are known as a “loitering munition” because they are capable of waiting in an area identified as a potential target and only strike once an enemy asset is identified.
The drone loiters above the operational arena, locates and tracks the enemy, ‘investigates’ possible targets to help to select the high-value ones, chooses the right timing, direction and angle of attack, and then performs a precise strike.