Soldiers most commonly use EVO drones, produced by the Chinese company Autel, which are primarily intended for photography and cost around NIS 10,000 (approximately $3,000) on Amazon. However, with a military-issued attachment known internally as an “iron ball,” a hand grenade can be affixed to the drone and dropped with the push of a button to detonate on the ground. Today, the majority of Israeli military companies in Gaza use these drones.
In the reports, all Palestinians killed were listed as “terrorists.” However, S. testified that aside from one person found with a knife and a single encounter with armed fighters, the scores of others killed — an average of one per day in his battalion’s combat zone — were unarmed. According to him, the drone strikes were carried out with the intent to kill, despite the majority of victims being located at such a distance from the soldiers that they could not have posed any threat.
Indeed, commercial drones converted into weapons have become common on modern battlefields because they offer a low-cost, accessible alternative to traditional airstrikes. Both Ukraine and Russia have used Chinese-made DJI drones in the current war in eastern Europe, outfitted with 3D-printed mounts to carry grenades and other explosives. In May, after China discovered that Ukraine was using commercial drones for military purposes, it banned their sale to the country, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
That’s complete nonsense. China is most definitely in a position to stop this, similar to how they stopped drone export to Russia and Ukraine.
You are not allowed to make this argument if China has not even put Israel on the drone export blacklist. Smuggled goods are one thing. But China fully condones this. And they ship them directly to Israel.
I know? I literally said “China could stop this.”
That doesn’t tell us why they haven’t, though. The only thing that makes sense is their usual abundance (or excess) of caution. Any actions taken against Israel will be seen as an attack by the West, even something like a drone blacklist, and they’re keen to avoid direct confrontation with the West as long as possible.
This isn’t a justification, just an explanation.
My bad I think I misread your argument because of " These are commercial drones from independent sellers that Israel is converting to military us" because they are primarily made by Autel. You can even get the drop mechanisms directly from Amazon because Autel drones are so (in)famously used for this.
In this case I do classify drones directly as weapons