India sends ‘killer’ drones to Israel as attack on Rafah looms

India has sent so-called “killer” drones to Israel to assist the occupation state in its military offensive against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. This is the latest reported support from New Delhi for Tel Aviv’s genocidal attack on Gaza’s Palestinian population.

According to Indian news channel TV9 Hindi last week, the Indian government delivered a number of Hermes 900 drones to Israel on an unspecified date, with the aim of helping fulfil “Israel’s needs in the Israel-Hamas [sic] war.”

Manufactured in the southern-central Indian city of Hyderabad, the Hermes 900 drones are reportedly capable of remaining airborne for over 30 hours, putting them in the class of medium-range long endurance UAVs. They are one of the four types of lethal or “killer” drones that Israel uses.

They have already been used in a variety of military operations carried out by the Israeli occupation forces since the 2014 assault on Gaza, both for reconnaissance missions and aerial bombardments.

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The drones are the result of a joint venture between India’s Adani Defence and Aerospace, and Israel’s Elbit Systems, known as Adani-Elbit Advanced Systems India Ltd.

Although neither New Delhi nor Tel Aviv has publicly acknowledged the transfer of the Indian-made drones to Israel, The Wire news outlet cited a source at Adani as confirming that the export had taken place.

The revelation of the Indian delivery of combat UAVs to Israel comes at a time when the occupation forces are planning to launch an operation in Rafah, in the south Gaza, despite earlier guarantees by Tel Aviv that Palestinians would be safe if they sought shelter in the city and surrounding area.

The Hermes 900 drones are apparently set to be used in that operation, where they could be utilised in the further bombing of civilians in Rafah and vastly increasing the number of Palestinians killed by Israel in the besieged territory since October. The number currently stands at around 30,000 — mostly children and women — with 70,000 wounded.

The delivery of the drones greatly increases India’s involvement in Israel’s war and wider arms industry. New Delhi is reportedly the largest purchaser of Israeli weapons, spending over $1 billion per year.

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