From the Liveblog of
Thursday, May 28, 2026
Footage: Anti-Hamas Gazan militia seen using large drone, presumably provided by Israel
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleNurit Yohanan is The Times of Israel's Palestinian and Arab world correspondent
The militia led by Ashraf al-Mansi, which works against Hamas in northern Gaza with Israeli backing, publishes footage showing one of its members operating a heavy military drone.
The footage appears to be the first of its kind released by the anti-Hamas Gazan militias, which until now had primarily been seen using light weapons.
A statement published on al-Mansi’s Facebook page says that “the People’s Army led by Ashraf al-Mansi in northern Gaza announces the successful introduction of advanced drones into operational use.”
Brig. Gen. Ghassan Dehini, who is considered the commander of various militias in Gaza, announced that “several successful operations had been carried” out using the new drones.
זה מטורף שמישהו בישראל אישר להעביר את הרחפן הזה למיליציות הפרו ישראליות בעזה. אמצעים אלה נכנסים לעזה באישור של ישראל שאף מספקת אותם. עוד נצטער על זה…. pic.twitter.com/Zh7aTwB4Zc
— Shai Levy (שי לוי) (@shailevy6) May 28, 2026
It remains unclear where the drones came from, though given Israel’s military and logistical support for the militias, it is likely they were transferred from Israel.
The IDF has not yet commented.
The Times of Israel Community.