Direct proof of use
A 2025 Perspectives on Terrorism article assessed that Shehab-2 loitering munitions may have been launched on 7 October 2023 as part of Hamas-led barrages from residential buildings, but it also stated that confirmatory evidence had not emerged. That caveat is central to the record: the source supports possible conflict use, not a confirmed strike or confirmed impact.
The same article describes the opening Hamas-led assault as using rockets, missiles, mortars, drones, and possibly loitering munitions against Israel. It places the possible Shehab-2 launches alongside broader drone and loitering-munition activity rather than identifying a verified Shehab-2 target.
Sources: ICCT Drones and the Hamas-led Attack
Timeline
At about 6:20 a.m. local time on 7 October 2023, the initial Hamas-led barrage began. The ICCT/Perspectives on Terrorism account describes that barrage as including rockets, missiles, mortars, drones, and possibly loitering munitions, and later identifies Shehab-2 as one possible loitering-munition type.
On 13 October 2023, Israeli reporting citing the IDF said dozens of Hamas UAV launch positions on residential roofs in Gaza had been struck after Hamas claimed several drone launches since the fighting began. That report supports the conflict's broader Hamas UAV context, but it does not itself identify those positions as Shehab-2 launch sites.
Sources: ICCT Drones and the Hamas-led Attack, Times of Israel Drone Launch Positions
Narrative
The Shehab-2 claim sits within a wider record of Hamas drone use during the opening phase of the war. WIRED reported in October 2023 that Hamas had publicized suicide-drone launches during the war, while also noting limited evidence that such drones had actually been deployed effectively or caused significant damage.
Israeli reporting later cited the IDF and Shin Bet as saying Atsam Abu Raffa, described as head of Hamas's aerial array, was responsible for drones, aerial surveillance, paragliders, and air defense and was involved in planning and executing the 7 October attack. This supports the presence of Hamas aerial capabilities in the conflict, but not a confirmed Shehab-2 incident.
For this catalog entry, possession and possible launch are kept separate from confirmed operational use. The strongest source-backed statement is that analysts considered Shehab-2 loitering munition launches possible on 7 October 2023, while confirmation remained absent in the available open-source record.
Sources: Wired Hamas Suicide Drones, Jerusalem Post Hamas Aerial Array, ICCT Drones and the Hamas-led Attack
