Direct proof of use
The Hermes 900 is directly documented in the 2023 Israel-Hamas War through Israeli military reporting carried by multiple outlets. The Times of Israel reported on April 8, 2024 that the Israeli Air Force had inaugurated the 147th Squadron, the Battering Ram, to operate the Elbit Hermes 900 and that the IDF used the drone for attack and surveillance missions in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Lebanon, and other areas.
Israeli outlets reporting the same announcement said the new squadron was opened at Palmachim as part of a wartime expansion of the Kochav, the Israeli Air Force name for the Hermes 900. Ynet attributed the move to the IDF's decision to double the Kochav order of battle during the fighting, while Mako reported that the aircraft carried out changing attack and intelligence-collection missions in the south, north, and West Bank around the clock.
Sources: Times of Israel Battering Ram Squadron, Ynet 147th Squadron Opens, Mako Battering Ram Squadron
Timeline
Public evidence in this record begins six months into the war, not at the opening day of the conflict. The available direct sources do not identify a first Hermes 900 sortie on October 7, 2023, but they do show that by April 2024 the IDF and Israeli Air Force were publicly describing the Hermes 900/Kochav as an active wartime platform and expanding the force structure built around it.
The April 2024 announcement placed the 147th Squadron alongside the existing 166th Squadron at Palmachim and tied the reactivation of the 147th to the wartime demand for more Kochav operations. Later Jerusalem Post analysis of IDF drone innovation in Gaza described the Hermes 900 as a large drone able to surveil wide areas for long periods and placed the new squadron within the broader increase in drone layers over Gaza.
Sources: Times of Israel Battering Ram Squadron, Ynet 147th Squadron Opens, Jerusalem Post IDF Drone Innovation
Operational role
The supported conflict role is Israeli unmanned attack and surveillance, not a transfer-only or possession-only claim. The Times of Israel source names attack and surveillance missions in Gaza; Mako adds intelligence-collection, strike, visual-surveillance, and ground-force partnership roles for the UAV array, and specifically says the Kochav had many flight hours in Lebanon and Gaza during the current war.
The public sources used here do not provide a complete sortie list, a precise count of Hermes 900 aircraft in Gaza, or a weapon loadout for Gaza missions. Elbit's manufacturer data supports the platform context: the Hermes 900 is a medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aircraft with persistent multi-payload operation, satellite and line-of-sight links, a 350 kg payload class, and up to 36 hours endurance.
Sources: Times of Israel Battering Ram Squadron, Mako Battering Ram Squadron, Elbit Hermes 900
