Israel-Hamas conflict: Hamas using cheap amateur drones strapped with bombs
Hamas has taken a page from Ukraine’s warfare playbook in the fight back against Israel in Gaza, with video showing the grim results.
The bloody Israel-Hamas conflict has entered its fifth week and fears are growing of a broader war in the Middle East as tensions in the region rise.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has made a surprise high-security visit to the West Bank, meeting with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.
Meanwhile, an Israeli model has spoken of hiding under her boyfriend’s body for hours in the wake of a terrorist massacre at a music festival on 7 October.
And former footballer turner champion boxer Sonny Bill Williams has been accused of “inciting hatred” with a post about the conflict.
Follow on for our latest updates throughout the day.
Hamas using cheap drones carrying bombs
Hamas is using cheap but highly effective drone warfare in its fightback against Israel’s advance and sophisticated military tactics in Gaza.
The Palestinian terrorist group has also revealed it used weaponised amateur drones to help facilitate its surprise attack on Israel on 7 October.
Questions have swirled for weeks over how militants were able to take Israeli intelligence services by surprise, with some light now being shed on the use of drones.
Non-military quadcopter drones, made in China, dropped explosive devices on surveillance towers near Israeli border towns, it’s been revealed.
The country’s so-called ‘electronic fence’ was considered impenetrable before the attacks.
Videos shared online by Hamas show cheap drones attacking Israeli troops from above, with one clip showing a grenade being dropped on a group of soldiers.
Another clip shows a drone dropping an explosive device on an Israeli MK4 tank.
In another video, Lebanese terror group Hezbollah can be seen launching a ‘kamikaze drone’ – a device with bombs strapped to it – at an Israeli army border post.
Hamas has said it too has kamikaze drones, which can hover in the air for long periods of time before being crashed into targets.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine saw a boom in cheap drone warfare, with remodelled commercial devices and inexpensive amateur ones being fitted with weapons.
Ukraine has even bought cardboard drones from an Australian manufacturer, making it simple and cost effective to take to the skies.
In response, Russia’s struggling army has also deployed weaponised drones.
‘Justifying death’: Royal’s remarks on Israel
Queen Rania of Jordan has accused countries that don’t support calls for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict of “endorsing and justifying” civilian deaths.
In an explosive interview with CNN, the monarch also attacked Israel’s claims that it’s trying to minimise casualties by encouraging Palestinians to flee.
“Over 10,000 people [have been] killed, 70 per cent of whom are women and children,” the Queen said.
“For the Israelis to claim that they are trying to protect civilians is … an insult to intelligence.”
She also dismissed the argument that a ceasefire would benefit the terrorist group Hamas.
The Israeli Defence Forces has vowed to eliminate Hamas, its command centres and vast underground tunnel system, and its leadership via relentless air strikes and ground operations.
“I feel that in that argument, they are inherently dismissing the death, in fact, even endorsing and justifying the death of thousands of civilians,” Queen Rania said.
The conflict is not addressing the “root causes” of unrest in the region and Israel runs to risk of inspiring other groups to rise up and replace Hamas, she added.
“If we do not address these root causes, then you can kill the combatant, but you cannot kill the cause. So, from the rubble of these destroyed buildings will emerge another group more determined and more motivated to do what Hamas did.”
The “surest route” to security is through peace, the Queen said.
“Not the strongest military or the most capable intelligence services or the Iron Dome or the separation wall will safeguard Israel’s security as much as peace would.”
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken was in Jordan at the weekend for talks with King Abdullah. Queen Rania said America’s position is ultimately flawed.
“He says that Israel has every right to self-defence, to defend itself within the rules of war in order to ensure that what happened on October 7 never happens again.
“If we want to make sure that we never have to be in this situation again, we have to ask ourselves how we got there. There has to be if violence stood between Palestinians and a better future, then they themselves will fight against this violence.”
The Queen expressed concern about the skyrocketing civilian death toll in Gaza, with children accounting for almost half of the almost 10,000 deaths.
“I think the world is just screaming: How many more people have to die before our global conscience awakes? Or is it forever dormant when it comes to the Palestinians?”
Humanitarian agencies and a number of countries have repeatedly pleaded for a pause in hostilities on humanitarian grounds.
Today, Pope Francis added to the calls in an address to gathered crowds at St Peter’s Square in the Vatican.
“I pray you to stop, in the name of God – cease the fire,” Pope Francis said. “Let us think about the children. Their future is being killed.”
Overnight, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again rejected calls for a humanitarian ceasefire and said he won’t entertain the idea until 240 hostages held by Hamas are released.
“There will be no ceasefire without the return of our hostages – we say this to both our enemies and our friends,” Mr Netanyahu said in an address to troops at an Air Force base.
Meanwhile, it’s been revealed Jordan’s Air Force air-dropped medical aid directly into Gaza, bypassing Israel’s tight embargo on the unsupervised delivery of aid.
In a post on X, King Abdullah said the equipment and medications were parachuted to a hospital.
“This is our duty to aid our brothers and sisters injured in the war on Gaza. We will always be there for our Palestinian brethren,” King Abdullah wrote.
Israel has repeatedly insisted on inspecting all aid bound for Gaza, which can currently only pass through the frequently closed Rafah border crossing with Egypt.
Girl ‘murdered’ by Hamas is still alive
An eight-year-old girl who Israeli officials said was murdered by Hamas militants in an attack on a village is actually alive, held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.
For the past month, Emily Hand’s grief-stricken family have been mourning her death, having been told she was among those killed at Kibbutz Be’eri.
The girl was at a sleepover at a friend’s house on the evening of 6 October.
The next day, terrorists stormed the community in a siege that killed at least 130 people. A number were slaughtered and set on fire, with bodies left unrecognisable.
“We were told that she had been murdered and we were in mourning,” Emily’s older sister Natalie told Israeli news outlet Channel 12.
But the Israeli Government last week revealed the child was not murdered and is instead likely being held captive somewhere in Gaza.
“I want to tell you that we are doing everything to get you home,” Natalie said. “We know you are being held hostage. We love you so much and miss you.”
She said Emily’s young friend and her mother, whose house she was staying in during the attack, are also thought to be alive.
Last month in a harrowing interview with CNN, Emily’s father Thomas Hand – an Irish national – said he was relieved to be told she was dead.
“She was either dead, or in Gaza. And if you know anything about what they do to people in Gaza, that is worse than death.
“They’d have no food. They’d have no water. She’d be in a dark room filled with Christ knows how many people. And terrified every minute, hour, day, and possible years to come.
“So, death was a blessing. An absolute blessing.”
In an interview with the Irish Times, Mr Hand described Emily as “a little angel”.
American nuclear sub arrives
A nuclear-powered US submarine has arrived in the Middle East, days after an aircraft carrier.
Washington hopes the noticeable presence will act as a deterrent to nations in the region – especially Iran – to stay out of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
US Central Command confirmed the arrival of the Ohio class submarine.
It joins the USS Dwight D Eisenhower aircraft carrier, guided missile cruiser and a guided missile destroyer, which have been deployed to the region “as part of the increase in regional posture”.
Israel encircles Gaza City
A major military operation is underway in Gaza, with a series of huge explosions rocking the region as communications are severed once again.
The Israeli Defence Forces launched multiple air strikes on various targets and is reportedly preparing for ground troops to enter Gaza City within in the next 48 hours.
Vision emerging on social media shows relentless explosions, including in the area surrounding Shifa Hospital.
Journalists in the border city of Sderot say “intense” strikes are visible.
Al Jazeera reporter Tareq Abu Azzoum wrote that “a residential building was flattered in the north [of Gaza]” as part of the operation.
Palestinian social media influencer Muhammad Smiry described it as “the deadliest night” of the conflict so far, writing on X: “This is not hell – this is Gaza.”
Journalists inside Gaza report tanks are rolling through the city as IDF warplanes drop bombs from overhead.
“This is the most severe bombardment,” journalist Wael Dahdouh said. “There is no safe place.”
IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the “extensive” operation is targeting Hamas infrastructure, including underground tunnels where senior militants are believed to be hiding.
It has now essentially cut Gaza in half.
He said Israeli forces “have encircled Gaza City [and] now there exists a south Gaza and a north Gaza.”
Telecommunications and internet connections are down again, with humanitarian groups saying they can’t contact workers on the ground.
It marks the third time Israel has severed services to Gaza since 7 October.
ScoMo’s bizarre Israel jaunt
Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison has unexpectedly popped up in Israel alongside ex-British leader Boris Johnson.
The trip to the region amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza was described as a “demonstration of solidarity”.
“’It is an opportunity to understand first hand what is occurring on the ground, honour those who have been lost, show support to those who have suffered and are now engaged in this terrible conflict and discuss how to move forward,” Mr Morrison said.
The Liberal backbencher was in London last week to speak at a conservative politics conference alongside a string of current and former Opposition colleagues.
It’s unclear if his visit to Israel is sanctioned by Liberal leader Peter Dutton.
“I’m here because I believe I should be here,” he told The Australian.
Mr Morrison is the first Australian politician to visit Israel since the 7 October massacres that sparked the Israel-Hamas conflict.
“I am thankful for the opportunity to join former Prime Minister Johnson to come to Israel as a demonstration of solidarity with the people and State of Israel and the Jewish community throughout the world,” he said.
Mr Johnson and Mr Morrison toured the kibbutz Kfar Aza, where militants killed 57 Israelis and kidnapped 17 people.
“You can’t help but be overwhelmed by the sense of that where we’re standing was once, a month ago, a place of innocence and now has been desecrated beyond comprehension,” Mr Morrison said.
Speaking to the media while sporting a bulletproof vest, Mr Morrison said he backs Israel’s refusal of a humanitarian ceasefire.
In an opinion piece published in The Australian today, timed to coincide with the visit, he revealed Mr Johnson had invited him on the trip.
“In undertaking this visit I hoped to demonstrate solidarity with Israel, its people and our own Australian Jewish community,” he wrote.
“I never imagined we would ever see the wave of anti-Semitic hatred that has occurred in Australia since the October 7 attacks and the rollout of Israel’s response.
“Hatred and intimidation directed toward our Jewish community has resulted in Australian Jewish children being afraid to wear their own school uniforms, as it would identify them as a Jew.”
Mr Morrison also pre-empted inevitable raised eyebrows about his unusual and unofficial diplomatic visit.
“I know I no longer speak for Australia and nor do I pretend to. However, for all those Australians who wish to declare their support for Israel and the Jewish people, I am happy, through the opportunity of this visit, to carry and convey that message on your behalf.”
Israel bombs two refugee camps
The Israeli Defence Forces has launched air strikes on two refugee camps in Gaza, killing at least 53 people and injuring scores more.
Hamas-controlled Palestinian Health Ministry officials said recuse workers are searching for survivors in the rubble at the Maghazi camp and the Bureij settlement after “direct” bombing.
“All night I and the other men were trying to pick the dead from the rubble,” Saeed al-Nejma told media.
“We got children, dismembered, torn-apart flesh.”
Authorities say most of the bodies recovered so far belong to women and children.
Hospital workers say the air strike on Bureij, inhabited by an estimated 46,000 people, hit a house near a school.
The IDF said it’s investigating the claims.
Anthony Blinken’s surprise West Bank visit
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has made a high-security surprise visit to the Israeli-occupied West Bank, meeting with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.
The top US diplomat met with Abbas in Ramallah as global concern grows over rising violence in the occupied territory in tandem with the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Mr Blinken has visited Israel since the start of the war, but this was his first trip to the West Bank.
He met with Israeli officials on Friday and said he heard “a clear commitment from the government to deal with extremist violence in the West Bank, to condemn it, to take action to prevent it, to take action against those who perpetrate it”.
“This is important, and we will be looking closely to ensure that our friends make good on that commitment,” he said.
Sonny Bill Williams sparks fury
Former footballer Sonny Bill Williams has been accused of “inciting hatred” against Jewish popular after sharing a fiery social media post about the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The champion boxer, who converted to Islam 15 years ago, took to X at the weekend where he slammed the bombing of a major hospital in Gaza, describing Israelis as “Zionist cowards”.
“Wallahi [I swear to God] where is our Ummah [Muslim community]?” Williams wrote, alongside a clip of the aftermath of an air strike on a hospital.
“Where are the so called men entrusted to stand up and fight for our voiceless – if this footage is too gruesome for you REMEMBER these are the same people that certain parts of the media DEHUMANISE so you think this genocide is warranted.
“All you Zionist cowards wouldn’t last a day fighting real men face-to-face. Allahu Akbar [God is great]!!”
Last month, the 38-year-old sparked outrage after sharing an X post describing Hamas terrorists as “freedom fighters”.
Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said Williams’ latest remarks are “reckless, dangerous and clearly uninformed”.
“But to his many fans and followers, they will sound compelling and will serve to incitement hatred and further destabilise our fragile social cohesion,” Mr Ryvchin told The Daily Telegraph.
“I’m sure Sonny Bill doesn’t want to do this and I would be willing to meet with him to discuss our perspectives and build bridges rather than making enemies.”
Model ‘hid under boyfriend’s body’ at festival
A 27-year-old Israeli model who survived the Hamas festival massacre has recounted how she was forced to hide under her dead boyfriend‘s body in the back of a bin.
Noam Mazal Ben-David said she played dead for two hours surrounded by a pile of corpses, after her partner David Neman and dozens of others were gunned down by Hamas terrorists.
She was losing blood rapidly after being shot in the foot and hip but remained silent to stay alive.
“They surrounded us and they just kept shooting, non-stop,” she said.
“I heard one girl scream ‘Please don’t take me. Just leave me alone’. But they still kidnapped her. They did terrible, terrible things to her.
“As the Hamas gunmen approached, David took me and threw me to the back of the container telling me to get as deep as I could and to hide. One of them jumped inside and yelled ‘Allahu Akbar’ and a bomb went off, and they started shooting non-stop.
“It was Russian roulette as to who would get a bullet.”
The massacre occurred during the Supernova Festival in southern Israel, which was initially billed as a celebration of “friends, love, and infinite freedom”.
Netanyahu in hot water again
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in hot water again with remarks suggesting protests by soldiers against his government contributed to the Hamas attacks of 7 October.
It comes a week after Mr Netanyahu deleted a post on X attacking security chiefs for failing to warn of the massacres carried out by terrorists, which saw political colleagues brand him “psychotic”.
This latest domestic upset prompted senior minister Benny Gantz to hit back.
“Over 100% enlistment in reserves and extraordinary mobilisation by all Israeli society are the decisive response to our enemies,” Mr Gantz wrote in a post on X.
“Evading responsibility and mud-slinging in a time of war harm the country. The prime minister must clearly and unambiguously retract his words.”
Quotes in Hebrew media outlets attributed to the PM called for the Israeli Defence Forces to investigate “insubordination” among reservist soldiers that in part inspired Hamas to attack.
“In contrast to reports, the prime minister never said in any manner that insubordination is what led Hamas to attack Israel,” a statement from his office read.
“The prime minister said before the war that our enemy must not mistake us, because at the moment of truth everyone will enlist, as indeed happened.”
Islamic preacher labels Australians ‘hypocrites’
An Islamic preacher in Sydney has urged Muslims to wage “jihad”, calling Australians “hypocrites” for “forgetting its dark past”.
Speaking at Al Madina Dawah Centre in Southwest Sydney, the man known as ‘Brother Ismail’ took aim at Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, the Federal Government and intelligence services, and Islamic leaders who had criticised Jihad fighters overseas.
He declared the Hamas members who attacked Israelis on 7 October were not terrorists and instead “freedom fighters” and “warriors”.
“There is no other way to defend Muslims … they are so thrilled and looking forward to joining the Mujaheddin,” he said, first reported by The Australian.
“That hypocrite Albanese when he came and stepped and dirtied one of the mosques saying and claiming and putting the mouth of hypocrisy and lies to the Muslims, that we love Muslims and respect them. Not long after Allah exposed his lies when he (Albanese) said Israel has the right to defend itself, when he labelled Hamas as terrorists.
“We say to every individual who said Hamas were terrorists, did you (Australia) really forget your dark history.
“Did you really forget what your ancestors did to the native people in this country, how they killed them, how they chained them like dogs … did you forget that you celebrate every year a massacre you did to the native people. You want to come and teach us about morals?”
He went on to claim “Jihad is the solution” and ridiculed ASIO for “wanting to deport me”.
“If the Australian government or ASIO like it or not, if they want to deport me or not, the Jihad is the solution for the Ummah (the Islamic community) … There is no other way but fighting in the sake of Allah.”
Dozens of UN sites bombed
The United Nations says 48 of its installations across Gaza have been damaged in Israeli air strikes since the conflict with Hamas began a month ago.
UNRWA, the agency for Palestinian refugees, said nearly 1.5 million people have been displaced across the region since 7 October.
And almost half of those people are sheltering in installations controlled by the UN, it added.
Fireball as Israel ‘attacks’ Russia air base
Israel has reportedly targeted a Syrian air base used by Russia while Joe Biden has given a clear hint about the response to Iran’s attack.
Aussie shares flat with all eyes on Israel
The sharemarket inched higher on Thursday as investors braced for Israel’s response to Iranian missile and terror attacks and the release of crucial US jobs data.
‘Eliminated’: Hamas leader killed in airstrike
Israel says it has killed senior Hamas leader Rawhi Mushtaha who was the “right hand man” to the mastermind behind the October 7 attacks.