Israeli security officials are expressing growing concern over the continued use of drones to smuggle contraband into the Gaza Strip, following reports that dozens of drones have successfully crossed the border since the beginning of the year.
According to a report aired Tuesday morning by Galei Tzahal, 28 drones have successfully entered Gaza in 2026, with security assessments indicating that most of them likely reached Hamas.
The report said smugglers have increasingly relied on drones in recent months, with some launched from Egypt toward the Gaza Strip and others taking off from within Israel. While the IDF has stepped up efforts to detect and intercept the aircraft, a number of drones have still managed to evade defenses and cross into the enclave.
Security officials say it is impossible to determine what cargo the drones that reached Gaza were carrying. They caution, however, that the drones themselves represent a valuable operational asset for Hamas and could potentially be used in future terrorist attacks.
According to the reported figures, Israeli forces have thwarted 89 drone-smuggling attempts since the start of the year. In total, 117 attempted smuggling operations have been documented over the past six months.
The IDF stated that every intercepted drone-smuggling attempt involved narcotics. At the same time, the military acknowledged that dozens of drones were not intercepted and warned that some may not have been detected in real time, meaning the actual number of smuggling attempts could be higher than currently known.