The Palestinian terror group Hamas said Wednesday that it had captured an Israeli drone that crashed in the Gaza Strip last month, and painstakingly put it together to make it operational.
In a video aired on Hamas’s official Aqsa TV channel that purported to show the drone, the group said it succeeded in capturing the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The video identified the drone as a Skylark 1 model that fell on July 22 in the Palestinian enclave.
“This is a significant achievement for a number of bright young minds in the organization,” Hamas said in a statement, adding that it was the work of a “special unit.”
“We did security checks [on the drone] to determine the systems and the built-in technology, after which the special put it back together. The drone is now in the service of [Hamas’s armed wing], the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades,” the statement continued.
“The enemy must know that we lie in wait and will surprise it any day, now when it least expects it,” the group wrote.
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In the video, it is unclear what model is being shown. A masked man is seen driving up to the drone laying in some sort of field, takes apart the wings and puts the pieces in the car. At a seemingly different location, he puts it back together, adding different parts.
The Skylark 1 drone, developed by Elbit Systems, is used by the IDF Artillery Corps.
The IDF said it was looking into the matter.
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