IDF Suspects Drone Malfunction Killed Two Soldiers in Gaza

The Israeli military is increasingly assessing that the explosion of an "Atalef" drone in the Gaza Strip, which killed two reserve soldiers on Thursday, was a operational accident and not an attack by Hamas. New details from the ongoing investigation, reported by Doron Kadush, suggest a chain of events led to the fatal blast. According to a senior IDF officer, Hamas does not possess the capability to hijack or jam the drones. The current assessment is that the drone, upon activation, struck a high object, possibly an electrical cable or pole, and fell. The two experienced operators, realizing the drone had crashed due to a noise and loss of camera feed, followed protocol by shutting off the remote control to minimize danger. The drone's safety mechanism is designed to prevent detonation when the remote is off, making the subsequent explosion a central question in the investigation. The drone landed on an awning within the soldiers' position. The soldiers decided to move the unexploded drone outside the camp to prevent it from endangering others. A bomb disposal unit was not called. As the two soldiers were evacuating the drone, it exploded, killing them. Following the incident, the Ground Forces Commander ordered a halt to the use of attack drones, a measure extended until Sunday, October 4th, as a precaution. Use of these drones may resume on Sunday after necessary checks and reporting. This incident adds to a series of operational accidents during the war in Gaza. Since the war began, 82 soldiers have been killed in operational accidents in Gaza, out of a total of 474 soldiers killed in combat there, representing approximately 17% of fatalities.