[Published: Sunday September 27 2026]
 Israeli settlers are using drones to forcibly change Palestinian life in the occupied West Bank
ISRAELI OCCUPIED WEST BANK, 27 Sept. - (ANA) - Rabie Abu Na’im vividly remembers the sound of the drone that Israeli settlers would launch daily over the Al-Khalayel Bedouin community east of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank to monitor residents and eventually drive them out.
This community, which settlers succeeded in emptying following a relentless wave of attacks, was one of the areas where drones played a critical role in terrorising the Palestinian population and forcing them to flee.
Since the election of the Israeli government in 2022, settlers have employed various tactics in their declared campaign to seize land in the occupied West Bank, expand settlements, and densely establish outposts between Palestinian villages and towns to redraw territorial boundaries.
Among these tactics, drones have emerged as a key tool for the round-the-clock surveillance, intimidation, and expulsion of Palestinians, particularly herders, whom the drones pursue and force to retreat while they graze their livestock.
Recent reports indicate that Israeli settlement councils have also begun distributing drones to settlers for use in photography, reconnaissance, and monitoring the areas surrounding settlement outposts.
Abu Na’im told The New Arab that drones played a major role in the forced displacement of his community; over three years, Israeli settlers launched them to track residents' movements, with the drones becoming increasingly aggressive over time.
"When herders left their homes in the morning, the drones would pursue and shadow them; if they approached certain areas, settlers would gather to attack and drive them away. Eventually, the drones began monitoring residents inside their homes around the clock, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop them," he added.
Later, Israeli settlers began equipping drones with audio devices that broadcast insults and threats to Palestinians, warning them to leave the area. Women and children were terrified, and gradually residents left, coinciding with fierce physical assaults that injured many of them.
Drones were also frequently used to drop tear gas canisters on the communities targeted by settlers.
"A few days ago, when a boy and a young man were killed in Al-Mughayyir, drones played a major role. The raid began when a drone tracked a flock of sheep; settlers then attacked the site to steal the livestock under the protection of the Israeli army, which killed the two victims in cold blood during the incident," Rabie remarked.
Killer-bots in the sky
Drones can monitor vast areas, track the movement of people and livestock, and film Palestinian farmers and herders without settlers needing to approach them. Consequently, access to the land becomes exposed and monitored even before any direct confrontation occurs.
The situation is particularly dangerous for herding communities which rely on daily movement between their homes, grazing grounds, and water sources; areas that are increasingly encroached upon by rapidly expanding settlement outposts.
When the movements of herders are monitored from the air, settlers can pinpoint the location of livestock, determine when residents leave their homes and which areas they utilize, and then intervene to block their access to those lands.
Notably, this use of technology predates the recent distribution of equipment by years. Israeli funding had previously been revealed for equipping settlement outposts with gear, including drones, as part of a security package designed to monitor the surrounding areas.
However, Palestinians are convinced that its role goes far beyond that, as it has played a part in the killing of several boys and young men.
Mohammed Abu Siyam, a shepherd from the village of Mikhmas, east of Ramallah, recounted to TNA that Israeli settlers attacked the village last February and stole a herd of livestock; some Palestinians confronted them.
His son, Nasrallah, 19, was among the group and suggested climbing the mountain peak to locate the stolen herd. At that moment, the settlers launched a drone to track them.
“Using the drone, the settlers monitored my son and the others. An armed group of them lay in wait for the youths' arrival and immediately opened fire, killing Nasrallah and wounding other young men," he added.
To this day, the drone shadows Mohammed while he grazes his sheep, as if counting his livestock and inspecting everything with him, he said.
Off-limits to Palestinians
For Palestinian residents, the drone's very presence in the sky alters people's behavior.
A shepherd aware that his movements are being watched might hesitate to approach his own land; a farmer might avoid a specific area; and a family might reconsider staying in a place where every movement is subject to surveillance.
Imad Al-Batta, from the village of Hajjah near Qalqilya, told TNA that drones are violating the privacy of homes by flying extremely close to them, so close that families feel the devices might fly right through their windows.
"We are under surveillance by settlers' drones around the clock; privacy is non-existent, and everyone feels constantly threatened. These drones have also guided several settler attacks on the village, one of which resulted in the death of a young man and the injury of five others just days ago," he explained.
Yet, while drones are distributed to Israeli settlers and used without any oversight, Palestinians are prohibited from owning them even for purely professional purposes.
The Israeli army has arrested numerous Palestinian photojournalists over the past three years on the grounds of possessing a drone for photography.
Photojournalist Abdul Rahman Hassan, from Bethlehem, told TNA that soldiers raided his home on 19 August, arrested him, and transported him to a nearby detention center.
He remained handcuffed there for hours before an Israeli police vehicle transferred him to another detention center in the "Beitar Illit" settlement, where he was interrogated for hours regarding his possession of a drone.
"I told them I had always used it without anyone stopping me, but the interrogator informed me of a military order in place since 2017 prohibiting Palestinians from possessing such devices”.
They then made him sign documents acknowledging possession of a drone, and threatened that if he was found with a drone again, he would face imprisonment for many years.
In dozens of instances, the Israeli army has raided toy shops across various occupied West Bank cities, confiscating all drones even those intended as toys for children, and warning shop owners against selling them under threat of arrest.
A tool for forced displacement
Last May, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) documented the use of drones by Israeli settlers to pursue residents of the Arab al-Mleihat community in the Al-Ma’arajat area.
This occurred amidst a series of attacks and violations that ultimately resulted in the community being emptied of its residents.
Salah al-Khawaja, the Central Region official for the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, told TNA that the use of drones by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank follows two simultaneous tracks: one linked to the Israeli army, and the other to settlers, settler organisations, and settlement outposts.
He explained that the Israeli army conducts campaigns in Palestinian areas to confiscate drones, citing the pretext that they are used to monitor settler attacks and violations against Palestinians, and this occurs alongside the provision of advanced drones to settler organisations and outposts, ostensibly to ensure "security" for the settlers.
“Potential uses for these drones include filming Palestinian vehicles and recording their license plates, which allows for tracking the owners and taking legal action against them," he said.
The use of drones against Bedouin communities can extend beyond monitoring movements to surveilling residents' private lives, including filming their homes and enclosed areas within the communities.
"These practices can create a state of constant pressure on Palestinian families, particularly in Bedouin communities, leading them to feel targeted and unsafe in their own localities; given the nature and culture of Palestinian society, this can become an additional factor driving families to leave the areas where they live," he concluded. - (ANA) -
AB/ANA/27 September 2026 - - -
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