In its recent war, Hamas resorted to placing police dogs in buildings to mislead the efforts of Israeli police dog units. According to a report by "Yedioth Ahronoth," the movement used the dogs in a counterstrategy to disrupt the operations of the Israeli army's canine unit, as noted by "Sky News Arabia." The newspaper stated that "Israeli forces see dogs chained in buildings, and despite the police dogs being trained during the Israeli ground operation in Gaza to remain focused when encountering other animals, there are concerns about potential difficulties."
It added that "Hamas intentionally leaves the dogs in the buildings that the Israeli army's police dog units will enter, to distract them from their mission of locating explosives and terrorists." Israeli soldiers received special briefings about this new phenomenon that raised concerns. The canine units of the army were crucial in the fighting. The Israeli army sent a dog equipped with a video camera into a complex of buildings to clear the area. The dog was shot and killed, and the camera recorded its encounter with gunmen. The Israeli army's use of dogs remains controversial, as the animals do not have a legal status and are used like equipment or technology.
