A drone captured by Israel en route to the Gaza Strip.  (Israeli Defense Ministry)

“For Gaza will be abandoned and Ashkelon a desolation; Ashdod will be driven out at noon And Ekron will be uprooted.  Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast, The nation of the Cherethites!  The word of the LORD is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines; and I will destroy you so that there will be no inhabitant.” (Zephaniah 2:4–5)

Israeli security forces at the Kerem Shalom border crossing recently intercepted a shipment of high quality commercial drones on their way to Gaza, intended for spying on Israeli targets.

Crossing Authority inspectors confiscated the drones which were hidden in a shipment of toys.

The Defense Ministry said that the drones, which were equipped with high-quality cameras, were not the only such shipment foiled by the Shin Bet (Israeli Secret Service) in recent weeks.

Hamas has reportedly already used drones for spying, launching two drones into Israel during the 2014 conflict with Gaza. Israel Air Force missiles shot both down.

Drones also reportedly invaded Egyptian airspace above the Sinai Peninsula several times last year. According to the Egyptian Al-Osboa newspaper, Egyptian radar picked up three drones flying out of the southern Gaza Strip on numerous occasions.

Egypt’s border security could not reach the drones which were flying 2,250 feet high because of the Israel-Egypt peace agreement that prevents anti-aircraft technology in the largely demilitarized Sinai region.

Despite the agreement, Israel has given the Egyptian military leeway to confront ISIS-affiliated groups and other terror cells that have rooted themselves in the peninsula.

The capture of the drones is the result of a joint task force of the Shin Bet, the Israel Defense Forces Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Israel Police, and the Crossings Authority formed to intercept illegal shipments of drones and other items into Gaza.