Campaign group Palestine Action has crashed through barricades at a drone factory in Leicester owned by an Israeli weapons company to stage a demonstration.
Tensions have flared in the Middle East after Hamas orchestrated an unexpected military attack on Israel, killing at least 1,400 people, including 260 people at a music festival close to the Gaza Strip.
Israel has responded by conducting airstrikes in Gaza which have killed at least 2,750 Palestinians, as well as cutting off food, water, electricity, and fuel supplies to the territory.
A hospital bombing has further inflamed tensions, although it remains unclear who is behind the attack that claimed at least 500 lives.
Activists have responded today by shutting down the Leicestershire factory of Israel’s drone supplier Elbit.
They drove through barricades and positioned a modified van so that the gates couldn’t be closed before mounting the roof of the vehicle, lighting flares and unfurling banners and Palestinian flags.
Drones have played a prominent role in previous bombardments of Gaza, and experts predict the Hamas/ Israeli war could unlock the next chapter of drone warfare in urban environments.
Hamas also leveraged small drones in its ambush of Israel, dropping explosives on Israeli security towers, border posts and communication towers.
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