Direct proof of use
Israel Aerospace Industries said the Shavit, Eitam, and Oron special-mission aircraft had their capabilities highlighted during the Iron Swords war, maintaining high availability and accumulating extensive operational hours over a twenty-two-month period. IAI described those missions as protecting Israeli airspace and preserving intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance superiority.
The same IAI announcement identifies Eitam as the G550-based CAEW flagship in the airborne early warning and control line, equipped with AESA radar and IFF systems and providing 360-degree coverage. That makes the source direct evidence for Israeli operation of the Eitam fleet in the 2023 Israel-Hamas War, while the public record does not identify individual sorties, orbit locations, or mission dates.
Sources: IAI Defense Prize
Timeline
The war began on October 7, 2023, after Hamas and other Gaza-based armed groups attacked southern Israel and Israel launched Operation Swords of Iron. IAI later described Shavit, Eitam, and Oron aircraft as accumulating operational hours across a twenty-two-month Iron Swords period, placing the Eitam's documented use in the prolonged Israeli air and ISR campaign rather than in a single publicly disclosed sortie.
On September 2, 2025, IAI announced that the Shavit, Eitam, and Oron aircraft had received the Israel Defense Prize, citing their wartime contribution and the Iron Swords operational record.
Sources: Israel Government Swords of Iron, IAI Defense Prize
Operational role
Eitam is not a strike aircraft. Its conflict role was airborne early warning, surveillance, battle management, and command and control for Israeli forces. IAI's CAEW description says the EL/W-2085 G550 provides long-range air and maritime surveillance, 360-degree AESA coverage, satellite-linked command and control, and real-time intelligence sharing.
Those functions matched the air component of Operation Swords of Iron. Ifri's military analysis states that Israel had air supremacy over Gaza, operated aircraft and drones without tactical air-defense limits, and maintained permanent multi-layer ISR coverage of the Gaza Strip, which facilitated airpower. The report does not single out Eitam, but it describes the campaign environment in which IAI says the special-mission aircraft fleet operated.
The public sources support Israeli operation of the Eitam during the war for airspace protection, ISR, and C2 support. They do not support claims that the aircraft itself released weapons, directly struck targets, or was tied to a named incident in Gaza.
Sources: IAI Defense Prize, IAI ELW-2085 CAEW, Ifri Iron Swords Analysis
