Explainer: How American Drones Are Helping Search for Israeli Hostages

It has been a month since the Israel-Hamas war began. Israel has continued to carry out selective attacks on Hamas positions in Gaza in the Israel-Hamas war, which began after a Hamas-Israeli attack on the 7th of last month. But for a month, more than 200 Israeli hostages have been in Hamas custody and are being held somewhere in Gaza. Hamas is believed to be holding these hostages in tunnels in Gaza. But their search is still on. The first shipment of US MQ-9 Reaper drones to help search for hostages has arrived in Gaza.

Gaza Airspace
These UAV-powered MQR-9 Reaper drones have now been deployed over Gaza’s airspace where they are searching for hostages in coordination with the Israeli army. Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder says the drones are helping efforts to find the hostages, who have been held by Hamas for about a month.

From the start of the war
According to a BBC report, Ryder’s statement came after a report of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) sighting surfaced on a flight tracking website. Ryder clarified that the UAV had been active since the October 7 attack. A Pentagon statement said the US was conducting UAV flights over Gaza.

America has been with Israel since the beginning
According to the statement, the US is continuing to assist and advise the Israeli military in the search for the hostages. It is worth mentioning that after the attack by Hamas, America has announced all possible help to Israel and has also supported Israel’s determination to eliminate Hamas from the roots.

What is this MQ-9 Reaper drone?
The MQ-9 Reaper drone is an unmanned aerial vehicle, i.e. UAV, developed by the American company General Atomics. It can go to an altitude of 50 thousand feet and can perform continuous monitoring work for 27 hours without stopping. It is equipped with cameras, sensors, radar systems with advanced technology, due to which it is considered a very powerful intelligent gathering tool.

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Equipped with special abilities
The drone has a wingspan of 20 meters and is powered by a Honeywell engine with a fuel capacity of 1769 kg while its maximum speed is 44 km per hour. Along with this, it also has the ability to strike from the air to the ground. The Reaper has been a part of the US Air Force for the past 16 years.

A special type of sensor
It is clear from the Pentagon’s statement that the MQ-9 Reaper has been placed in Gaza’s airspace specifically to search for places where hostages are being held. Its high-powered cameras are equipped with a special type of heat-sensitive sensor that can work even in low light. According to the report, at least six Reaper drones have hovered in the area so far, most of them in southern Gaza.

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There are many advantages to using the MQ-9 Reaper drone. They are cost-effective compared to crewed aircraft of the same capacity and safer for operators as they do not require a human pilot to operate. Due to their ability to stay in the air for long periods of time, they are very suitable for obtaining intelligence. With their help, the possibility of accidental attacks on Palestinian civilians by the Israeli army is also reduced.

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Tags: Gaza, Hamas, Hamas attack on Israel, Israel, Research, USA, the world