Direct proof of use
+972 Magazine and Local Call reported on July 10, 2025, that Israeli soldiers and officers described the use of Chinese-made Autel EVO commercial quadcopters in Gaza. The investigation said the drones were operated manually by troops on the ground and were fitted with a military-issued attachment called an "iron ball" that allowed a hand grenade to be mounted and dropped from the drone.
The report identified Gaza use through interviews with seven soldiers and officers, daily battalion reports reviewed by the outlets, Palestinian witness accounts, and imagery analysis. It described use in Rafah, Nuseirat, Khan Younis, and the Netzarim Corridor, including reported grenade drops against people entering areas Israeli forces had ordered evacuated.
Sources: +972 Magazine grenade-firing drones in Gaza
Timeline
Autel Robotics issued a November 2023 statement saying it had banned business operations in the "Israeli-Palestinian conflict" region and opposed military use of its drone products. The later +972 and Local Call reporting describes Autel EVO drones appearing in Israeli military use despite that stated restriction.
The clearest dated public evidence came in July 2025. On July 3, journalist Younis Tirawi published footage that +972 and Local Call said showed a drone dropping a grenade in the Netzarim Corridor and that, based on the controller interface and other images reviewed by the outlets, had strong evidence of being an Autel model. On July 10, +972 and Local Call published the main investigation; on July 14, Al Jazeera reported the findings; and on July 17, +972 and Local Call published Autel's response and additional reporting on Israeli procurement channels.
Sources: Autel non-military use statement, +972 Magazine grenade-firing drones in Gaza, Al Jazeera commercial drone report, +972 Magazine Autel response and importers
Operational role
The documented role was a low-cost, short-range quadcopter adapted from a civilian EVO-family platform into a platoon-level reconnaissance and grenade-drop system. +972 and Local Call reported that Israeli soldiers initially used the drones for reconnaissance, such as scanning buildings before entry, before more units received iron-ball devices and converted the drones into weapons.
The reported weaponized configuration did not make the Autel drone a factory-built munition. Autel's own statements describe its products as civilian drones, oppose military use, and say the company banned business operations in the conflict region. In the July 2025 response reported by +972 and Local Call and summarized by Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, Autel said any use in Israeli military operations would have occurred without the company's knowledge, authorization, or consent.
The IDF response summarized by Business & Human Rights Resource Centre did not specifically address the Autel allegations, but said the army rejects claims that it intentionally harms uninvolved people and that army orders prohibit shooting uninvolved people. This record therefore treats the Gaza use as reported Israeli field use of modified Autel EVO commercial quadcopters, not as manufacturer-authorized military supply.
Sources: +972 Magazine grenade-firing drones in Gaza, +972 Magazine Autel response and importers, Business & Human Rights Autel Gaza allegation summary, Autel non-military use statement, Autel civilian-use statement
