Israeli army claims “intercepting” Hamas drone over Gaza

Israel Air Force fighter jets shot down a Hamas-operated drone over the Gaza Strip on Tuesday afternoon, the IDF reported.

Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson Lt. Col. Peter Lerner remarked, “Hamas has been developing its drone capabilities especially in the last two years…” The IDF spokesman said it was under Israeli military air control from the moment it took off and at no time it did the Hamas UAV enter Israeli air space. In February, Israel’s Border Crossing Authority intercepted a shipment of several drones of different types and sizes in Gaza.

There was no immediate reaction from the Islamist militant group Hamas, which rules Gaza. It was not immediately clear if the Israel Navy would attempt to locate the fragments of the aircraft.

The war was the third major engagement fought between Israeli and Gaza since 2008, in a bid to stem rocket fire that had become a daily reality for Israelis living in border communities since 2001.

Last June, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crashed-landed in Israel after it was launched from the Gaza Strip.

The Defense Ministry has prevented a number of attempts to smuggle small, commercial drones into the Gaza Strip. It was stopped before reaching Israeli airspace, a military official told the Times of Israel. Hamas has indicated that it is capable of such activities, but has not taken responsibility for the drone, which fell into the Mediterranean Sea.