Drone from Gaza penetrates into Israeli territory, crashing near border fence

The drone crashed on its own before the IDF had reason to engage it, landing on the Israeli side of the border.

A drone seen at a Hamas rally, marking 27 years since the movement's establishment. (photo credit: HAMAS TV)
A drone seen at a Hamas rally, marking 27 years since the movement's establishment.
(photo credit: HAMAS TV)
An unmanned aerial vehicle from Gaza crashed in Israeli territory near the border fence on Thursday.
The IDF stated that it had identified the drone in Gaza airspace and deployed forces to the area to potentially stop it from crossing into Israeli territory.
The drone crashed on its own before the IDF had reason to engage it, landing on the Israeli side of the border.
Soldiers from the IDF's Engineering Corps retrieved the drone for further analysis.
A military source said the drone was small in size, and that it had been detected by the IDF from the moment it was airborne. IAF aircraft had taken off to engage the drone, the source said.
It remains unclear whether Hamas launched the drone as part of an experiment that went wrong.
The incident did not mark the first time that a drone from Gaza has penetrated Israeli air space.
In July of 2014, during Operation Protective Edge, a drone from Gaza was shot down over Ashdod by a Patriot missile battery.