Modified commercial drones, which until recently were considered unsuitable for large-scale targeted military strikes, were used for the first time in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Military analysts estimate that Hamas terrorists adopted this tactic for their attacks on Israeli border towns on October 7. In these attacks, the Palestinian organization used commercially converted quadrocopters of Chinese origin that can be obtained by anyone.

Hamas video footage reportedly shows its drones dropping explosive devices, “blinding” Israeli control towers along the border fence with Gaza. These towers are equipped with state-of-the-art cameras. Until recently, the facilities were considered impregnable by the Israelis.

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, drones equipped with explosive devices have been used. Both the Ukrainians and the Russians currently use such drones. The difference between the war in Ukraine and the Middle East is that drones are now being used not only against soldiers and armored personnel carriers, but also against Israeli military infrastructure.

Converted drones are very efficient

“The way Hamas used drones is new. We haven’t seen anything like this before,” Carlo Massala of the University of the German Armed Forces in Munich told German magazine Der Spiegel. Hamas terrorists copied it from the war in Ukraine, the military expert says.

Liran Andebi, director of high-tech programs and national security issues at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, has been studying the use of drone technology in conflict for over a decade, with a particular focus on their use during the war in Ukraine . He admits that he was surprised by Hamas’s unexpected and sophisticated use of drones: “It shows that despite being technologically quite primitive, they can be transformed in such a way that they sow death or cause great destruction.” Speaking to DW, the scientist recalls that very primitive drones had also been used by Islamic State fighters in the Middle East against American forces mainly: “Then we saw them being used in Ukraine and now we see them again here in our region,” she says Liran Andebi.

Are Russia and Syria supporting Hamas?

Analysts are convinced that the weapons program of Hamas has been financed entirely from abroad. According to a State Department report on terrorism, Iran provides $100 million a year to Palestinian extremist groups. Hamas admits this, but claims a much smaller amount.

Some observers suspect that the Russians are also involved in training Hamas fighters. “Fighters from all organizations, such as Hamas and others, are trained in Syria. It’s clear that the Russians are involved as trainers in the whole affair,” says Ihor Semivolos, director of the Kyiv Center for Middle East Studies, in an interview with DW. So far, however, there is no evidence of a direct support of Hamas from Russia.

According to current and former Western and Middle Eastern intelligence operatives interviewed by the Washington Post, the Iranians supported Hamas terrorists with military training, as well as logistical and financial aid. However, this information could not be verified.