Sharif Abdel Kouddous & Hamza M.Salha
Drop Site News / April 24, 2025
Israel has deployed SkyStriker drones manufactured by Elbit Systems in several attacks in Gaza over the past week, killing at least 30 Palestinians sheltering in tents, including 14 children.
MAWASI KHAN YOUNIS & JABALIYA—The Israeli military is using so-called suicide drones—highly precise attack drones—in strikes on displacement camps in Gaza that have killed at least 30 Palestinians, including 14 children, according to photos, videos, and eyewitness testimony obtained by Drop Site News.
In at least five separate strikes over the past week, including one in Jabaliya refugee camp, one in Beit Lahia, and three on families sheltering in Mawasi Khan Younis, Israel deployed attack drones called SkyStrikers, which are manufactured by Elbit Systems, the largest private defense contractor in Israel. Mawasi Khan Younis is designated as a “humanitarian zone” that the Israeli military has ordered Palestinians in Gaza to displace to yet has nevertheless repeatedly bombed. Photos and video of the drones’ remnants were reviewed and identified by Trevor Ball, a munitions researcher and a former U.S. army explosive ordnance disposal specialist.
“One-way attack drones are effectively missiles, and under most technical definitions they are considered missiles,” Ball said. “Effects-wise, these are pretty similar to the bombs and missiles they were using to strike tents and schools before. The biggest difference is these are loitering munitions, where they can circle a target for a period of time before engaging.”
Loitering munitions—also referred to as suicide drones or kamikaze drones—are outfitted with warheads and are designed to hover and locate a target before crashing into it at high speed.
According to promotional material from Elbit Systems, the SkyStriker “is a fully autonomous loitering munitions (LM) that can locate, acquire and strike operator designated targets with a 5 or 10 Kg warhead installed inside the fuselage, enabling high-precision performance.” The SkyStriker is powered by an electric engine that “offers a low acoustic signature, allowing covert operations at low altitude.” The Israeli military recently released a separate video showing suicide drones striking targets in Gaza.
Elbit, which first unveiled the SkyStriker in 2017, highlights the precision capabilities of the drone to “strike targets with pinpoint accuracy.” The company also points to the relatively low cost of “loitering munitions” for their ability to “carry out precision attacks without the high costs associated with expensive ammunition like guided missiles and rockets.” A promotional video by the company also showcases the SkyStriker’s capabilities, including hitting the exact center of relatively small targets.
Under a section titled “Minimizing Collateral Damage,” Elbit states, “The SkyStriker also has the rare ability to abort missions if necessary. If the situation on the target seems to be changed – such as the sudden appearance of non-involved civilians – the operator can command the munition to return to loitering mode before hitting the target, ready to re-engage when conditions are right.”
“I’m not sure why we are seeing them now,” Ball said about their use in Gaza. “They could be wanting to test them in a ‘real world’ environment, or it could be a change in how they are conducting strikes. It might be more efficient now for them to use these drones compared to other platforms (Hermes/Apache/Jet), especially with the smaller geographic areas people in Gaza are allowed by the IDF to occupy.”
Elbit Systems supplies hundreds of products to the Israeli military, including munitions, drones, guided rocket systems, reconnaissance capabilities and other systems. Israel’s war on Gaza has boosted its earnings, with the company last month reporting stronger quarterly profits, due in part to higher revenues from the war, and expecting continued growth in 2025 amid a spike in global defense spending.
The Israeli military did not respond to any specific questions submitted by Drop Site News about the attacks.
Sharif Abdel Kouddous – journalist and editor at Drop Site News
Hamza M.Salha – writer, Gaza
