Israeli Drones Jamming Phones in Gaza?

The Israeli military pioneered the use of unmanned planes -- mostly to spy on their foes. In the 2006 war with Hezbollah, the drones racked up tens of thousands of flight hours on watch duty. But Palestinians in Gaza now say the drones are being used for much, much more. The AP reports:

Palestinians say they know when an Israeli drone is in the air: Cell phones stop working, TV reception falters and they can hear a distant buzzing. They also know what's likely to come next — a devastating explosion on the ground.

Palestinians say Israel's pilotless planes have been a major weapon in its latest offensive in Gaza, which has killed nearly 120 people since last week.

"Our experience is that the drone missile is successful in hitting its targets, and it's deadly," said Dr. Mahmoud Assali, a Palestinian physician who works in the emergency room of a northern Gaza Strip hospital that has often treated Palestinian gunmen hit by Israeli drones.

"The drone has a zone of around 15 meters (50 feet) where it decimates everything. It targets people and leaves them in pieces," Assali said.

Obviously, there's a huge helping amount of rumor and speculation in these accounts. But since Israel "maintains its drones are for surveillance purposes, and refuses to confirm using them in airstrikes," we have to rely, at least in part, on anecdotes like these. It's interesting, too, to see the psychological impact the drones are having.