Hamas has perhaps more sophisticated weapons than previously known: in the Israeli city of Ashdod, a drone was shot down. The military is wondering whether it is a Hamas-house production or it comes from Iran.

The Israeli Army has shot down a drone off the coast of the city of Ashdod, according to own data. The unmanned aircraft was intercepted by a missile of the type patriot and destroyed in the air, the military said on Monday.

The drone had penetrated according to media reports from the Gaza Strip into Israeli airspace. The Navy sought on Monday off the coast for remnants of the aircraft. “The army is prepared for surprises Hamas in the air,” said military expert at the Israeli broadcasting.
Hamas said it had run several drones “special ops” wide launch in the Israeli hinterland. If the information is correct, would the organization more sophisticated weapons than previously known.

The Israeli military spokesman Arye Shalicar said on Monday it was unclear which model the matter raised by the downed drone: a smuggled from Iran aircraft or a self-production of the radical Islamic Hamas. “We do not know in this case, where it comes from.”

“But we see many years efforts of Hamas to strengthen its terrorist capacity in the air,” Shalicar said. He acknowledged concerns that Hamas could equip aircraft with cameras or equip with explosives. In the armories in Gaza such attempts would be made for some time.

Meanwhile, Israeli soldiers shot dead by Palestinian sources in the early hours of Monday in the southern West Bank, a 21-year-olds. The radio announced that the young man had been killed near Hebron in a deployment of the army.

Middle East Crisis:New casualty figures: one-third of women and children

Soldiers had arrested eleven MPs of Hamas in different cities. Also, a university professor from Nablus and several members of two suspects who are behind the abduction and murder of three young Israelis, were among them. A military spokeswoman in Tel Aviv said in the West Bank had a total of 23 Palestinians were arrested.

From since the beginning of the Israeli military offensive killed 172 Palestinians are almost a third of women and children. This emerges from a list of victims. It was released on Monday by Ashraf al-Kidra, the head of emergency services in Gaza.

Among the dead are thus 22 women and seven underage girls. 24 victims were boys under 18 years. How many of the 119 men killed are civilians, can currently not clarify beyond doubt. Among the dead are, according to the list, two men aged 75 and 80 years.

The death toll now exceed those of the last Israeli offensive. In an eight-day conflict in November 2012 the human rights organization B’Tselem, according to the 167 people died. In turn, Hamas and its allies fired more than 870 rockets into Israel.

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