Israel uses drones to drop tear gas on Gaza marchers

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) used drones to drop tear gas canisters on the unarmed Palestinian civilians taking part in the Great March of Return in Gaza on Friday. As tens of thousands of Palestinians gathered at five locations along the eastern borders of the Gaza Strip, the occupation IDF used live ammunition and tear gas to disperse them, as well as the occasional artillery and tank shells.

The drones flew between 10 and 20 metres over the heads of protesters and dropped tear gas canisters on every flypast, causing huge panic among the people. It is believed that they carry 20 tear gas canisters on each flight.

“This is the first time that I have seen drones like this,” Rami Abu Dalal told MEMO. “I have been here several times since Trump’s decision on Jerusalem.” He explained that he was shot in his leg with live ammunition three weeks ago but insisted to his family that he had to take part in the Great March of Return.

According to Israeli Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld, “The use of unmanned aerial vehicles to launch gas is a recent innovation.”

Read: The Palestinians have started their Great March of Return