Israel has developed a new tool to assist in non-violent riot dispersal: The Shoko Drone, which will drop skunk water onto crowds, according to a Defense Ministry statement on Wednesday.
The new drone comes in the wake of 6 weeks of riots and protests along the Israel-Gaza border that led to over 100 dead and thousands more injured.
The IDF has been criticized by the international community for its use of live fire against protestors who approached or attempted to breach or damage the security fence. As such, Israel has upped its efforts to develop non-violent crowd control and dispersal techniques.
The Shoko drone, named after a favorite Israeli treat of chocolate milk drunk from a small bag, was developed by the Defense Ministry's Research and Development Agency.
The drone is capable of flying under heavy burdens and was designed to be used for a variety of tasks, including low flights with cargo loads. Crowd control was not initially part of the usage plan for the drone, but when the need arose, the drone was quickly adapted.
The drone can be loaded with a large quantity of skunk water in bags, called "Shoko" in official operational jargon, and release them into riots, to soak rioters.
The defense ministry emphasized that the bags are designed to avoid injury, even in the event of a direct hit.
The drone went from a mere idea to full use by the IDF in a matter of weeks.