Again (because it is not the first time it has been tracked), an unknown aircraft is orbiting over the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
Speed and operating altitude would suggest that it is a drone, but there are no definitive confirmations at this time. The hex code of the aircraft is D23001 and it is not currently assigned to any particular aircraft.
There are several hypotheses circulating in the OSINT community about the aircraft, and the one that seems to be the most widely reported is that it is an American MQ-9 Reaper that took off from Sigonella (as the route seen would suggest).
Earlier today, a drone that was tracked from a position off the coast of Crete loitered over Gaza for just under 3 hours.
— Amelia Smith (@ameliairheart) October 29, 2023
What wasn't visible on flight trackers were two MQ-9A Extended Range Reaper drones also in the area: REMIX22 & REMIX55 from NAS Sigonella. #ADSB #E9D001 1/2 https://t.co/wtqFbS6CQe pic.twitter.com/rbN4etxf4F
We will see if images will appear in the next hours/days that can, or cannot, corroborate this hypothesis.