But now, in the war zone of Gaza, a new development has emerged that illustrates just how deep psychological dimensions get in war. This includes Israelis working with quadcopter drones fitted with advanced sound devices to reportedly lure Palestinians from their homes, which then turn lethal, leveraging humans’ instinctive responses to distress and empathy.
Maha Hussaini from Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor testified to Al Jazeera: “A part of an organized modus operandi, in which technology is turned into a psychological terror weapon.” “In mid-April, we received reports of hearing strange sounds from quadcopters emitted by the Israelis,” said Hussaini with a heavy voice, as if carrying the testimony of many witnesses.
And the testimonies from Nuseirat are heart-breaking: Residents like Mohammad Nabhan describe the screams of women and crying babies-the sounds ringing so real, they momentarily trick the human mind into its innate instincts for rescue. Nabhan recalls telling his cousin, “Don’t fall for it; it’s a sound system,” one single moment of awareness that could have made all the difference in saving a life.
But not everyone was that lucky. Abu Anas Al-Shahrour, a neighbor who had heard the cries of alarm, came out to help and was shot in the head-a brutal confirmation of the drone’s sinister purpose.
Those are not isolated incidents. Reports from across Gaza and the occupied West Bank describe similar tactics: children’s voices crying “I want my mother,” threatening broadcasts warning of imminent death, and a range of manipulative soundscapes designed to provoke and expose civilians.
The quadcopters, now a ubiquitous tool of Israeli military operations, have been used extensively since October 7 for surveillance, targeting, and crowd control. In January, witnesses reported these drones firing directly into crowds gathering for food on al-Rasheed Street in Gaza City – a stark illustration of their deadly potential.
The sound arsenal is diverse, ranging from Hebrew and Arabic songs to simulated tank movements and even the familiar calls of local vendors. Every sound is a psychological offense; it is meant to sow chaos, fear and weakness.
This context of technological warfare is set against a background of the most massive humanitarian catastrophe in history. The Gaza Health Ministry gives estimate of the loss of life at forty-five thousand individuals and the complete of inhabitants’ evacuation. Hospitals, schools and others houses are completely destroyed. Housing, shelter, food, water, and medicine are no longer entitlements but rather, commodities in a world where organizations have been built to annihilate.
Other human rights bodies round the world have criticized these tactics as being illegal under international law. The “General’s Plan,” planned as an excuse to get rid of northern Gaza people, now known as a war crime for which International Criminal Court is seeking an arrest warrant for with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel.
The use of sound as a weapon is a rather worrying advancement in military technology, one which weaponizes people’s sympathy and makes kindness deadly. This also brings in tow, the underlying ethical questioning concerning the conduct of war and the dignity of those who are, and those who are not.
As the conflict continues, these technological innovations reveal a grim reality: in modern warfare, technology is not only instrumental in the execution of the fight – but actually forms a weapon that can at times be more lethal than the bullet.
The world’s population only spectators as Gaza suffers from unimaginable violence: it is quite impossible to comprehend how much more brutal this war might get.
