The Israeli occupation army intends to include Indian-made “Hermes 900” drones in its growing fleet of unmanned aircraft, a step activists and defense analysts say will further involve India in Israel’s war on Gaza, according to a report by the British Middle East Eye on Monday, February 12, 2024.
The delivery of “Hermes 900” drones comes as Israeli airstrikes intensify on the city of Rafah, and Palestinians brace for a major assault on the densely populated urban area, the British website said.
Defense analysts say drones have been a key pillar of the Israeli occupation army during its ongoing assault on Gaza, using them for intelligence gathering and carrying out attacks on Palestinian homes and civilians, according to the British website.
Israel’s use of “Hermes 900” in the Gaza war
While “Hermes 900” drones were first used in 2014 during the Israeli war on Gaza, in which 2,000 Palestinians were killed and 10,000 others were injured, “Hermes 900” can stay in the air for more than 30 hours and is usually used in a variety of military operations, including reconnaissance missions and aerial bombing.
“Hermes 900” drones, also known as “Hermes 900 Khashaf” or “Star,” have since become the gold standard in the medium-to-long-endurance drone category. They are one of the four deadly or “killer” drones used by Israel.
Meanwhile, Gireesh Lengana, a defense analyst in India, told Middle East Eye: “The Hermes 900 has a documented history of use in the region, and Israel continuously uses its various military assets for both monitoring and targeting strikes inside Gaza.”
Lengana added: “Unfortunately, it is highly likely that these drones, manufactured through a partnership between Indian Adani Defense and Aerospace and Israeli Elbit Systems, will be deployed in Gaza.”
On February 2, Shephard Media reported that Israel had received 20 Indian-made Hermes 900 drones from the Adani-Elbit joint project.
While neither country has publicly acknowledged the transfer of Indian-made drones to Israel, a source at Adani confirmed to The Wire news site that the drones had indeed been exported to Israel.
India’s complicity in the aggression on Gaza
Human rights activists and defense analysts say the drone deal underscores India’s growing complicity in Israeli aggression against Palestinians and highlights the flourishing economic and military relations between the two countries.
Sher Haifar, coordinator of the military embargo at the National Committee for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS), described India’s rapprochement with Israel at this moment as “disgusting,” given India’s long history under colonial rule.
Haifar said: “Hermes 900 drones are used to bomb civilian homes in Gaza and the West Bank.” He added: “Since Israel refuses to comply with the International Court of Justice’s decision to refrain from actions mandated by Article 2 of the Genocide Convention, third countries such as India bear responsibility for imposing an arms embargo and not complicity in genocide.”
Since the ruling of the International Court of Justice, two Japanese arms companies have terminated memoranda of understanding with Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest arms manufacturer. At the same time, on February 5, the Dutch Supreme Court barred the Netherlands from continuing to export parts of “F-35” aircraft to Israel, given what is happening in Gaza.
Haifar also said: “This moment is a test for the international legal system, and instead of siding with the genocide Israel is committing and enabling Western powers, India must draw inspiration from South Africa’s global leadership and end its complicity in genocide.”
Meanwhile, Anthony Weinstein, an independent journalist and author of “The Palestine Laboratory,” told Middle East Eye that the possibility of Israel using Indian-made weapons in Gaza was “shocking but not surprising,” given the close relationship between India and Israel over the past decade.
Weinstein added: “This alliance between India and Israel has not received much international attention, but it is important to study it more because Israel receives assistance in the genocide it is committing in Gaza from what is described as the world’s largest democracy.”
