Sean Rayment

Israel must steel itself over the coming weeks for more national trauma as the fighting against Hamas in Gaza intensifies and troops losses begin to mount. The country’s armed forces have already paid a high price, with 348 deaths since October 7th. To give some context, this is almost twice as high as the number of British soldiers killed in eight years of fighting in Iraq. In a country with just a tenth of the population of the UK, the losses will be even more difficult to bear. The break-in battle was always going to be the easiest part for the Israeli Defence Forces. The aerial bombardment, like a first world war artillery barrage, sent Hamas terrorists retreating into command bunkers buried many feet below ground.

The rise of the combat drone is changing the nature of the battlefield, as Israel has already found to its cost. The 7 October atrocity began when dozens of cheap commercial drones equipped with explosives paralysed the Israeli army's communications and camera systems surrounding the Gaza border.  It was the first crucial phase in an intricately planned terrorist attack which would end hours later with more than 1,500 Israeli deaths and a nation traumatised.  Imagery released later by Hamas on social media showed small drones exploding on communications towers and on army lookout posts. The Israeli Defence Forces – one of the world’s most battle-ready armies, which prides itself on its ability to defend the country against all enemies – was caught cold.