The Indian Hermes 900 drone is currently being manufactured in Hyderabad (social networking sites)

The Israeli military is set to add Indian-made Hermes 900 drones to its growing fleet of such aircraft, in a move that human rights activists and defense analysts say will increase India's involvement in the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.

The delivery of these marches comes at a time when Israeli air strikes are hitting the city of Rafah, and the occupation army is preparing for a major attack on the densely populated urban area.

Defense analysts say - as reported by the Middle East Eye correspondent in New York - that the marches were one of the main pillars of the Israeli army during its ongoing aggression against Gaza, as they are used for intelligence and also to carry out attacks on Palestinian civilians and homes.

The British website stated that the Hermes 900 drones are capable of flying for more than 30 hours, and are usually used in a variety of military operations, including reconnaissance missions and aerial bombardment. Their first use was in 2014 during the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, in which two thousand Palestinians were martyred and wounded. 10 thousand.

The Hermes 900, known in Israel as the "Hermes 900 Kochav" or the Star, has since become the gold standard in the "medium-range, long-endurance" category. It is one of the four lethal or "deadly" marches used by Israel.

collusion

India's defense analyst Girish Lingana told Middle East Eye, "Hermes 900 has a documented history of use in the region, and Israel constantly uses its various military assets for both surveillance and targeted strikes inside Gaza." “Unfortunately, it is very likely that these Adani-Elbit drones will be deployed in Gaza,” Lingana added.

The Middle East Eye correspondent pointed out that on February 2, Israel had already received 20 Indian-made Hermes 900 drones from Adani-Elbit Advanced Systems India, a joint venture between the Indian company Adani Defense and Elbit Systems. "Israeli.

Two Israeli marches fly over Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on January 22, 2024 (French)

The reporter added that although neither country publicly acknowledged the transfer of Indian-made marches to Israel, a source at Adani confirmed to the Indian website "The Wire" that the marches were in fact exported to Israel.

He pointed to what human rights activists and defense analysts say that the marches deal confirms India's growing complicity in Israel's treatment of the Palestinians, and highlights the thriving economic and military relations between the two countries.

Legal and ethical dilemmas

Military embargo coordinator at the Palestinian National Committee for Boycott of Israel, Shir Hever, described India's rapprochement with Israel during this period as "shameful" given India's long history under colonial rule.

"Hermes 900 drones are used to bomb defenseless civilians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank," Hever told the site.

The website concluded by saying that Lingana said that the partnership of marches between India and Israel is likely to raise many legal and ethical dilemmas for India, as more information has emerged about the current events in Gaza, including, for example, that during the years following Israel’s aggression against Gaza in 2014, it was concluded Al-Mazen Center for Human Rights indicated that about 37% of Palestinian casualties were caused by Israeli marches.

“When India supplies drones to Israel, it becomes indirectly linked to any operations carried out by those drones in Gaza,” Lingana said. “This blurs the line between supplier and potential partner, even if India has no direct control over how the drones are used.”

Source: Middle East Eye