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Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/02/02/israel-military-defense-tech-gaza/
Israeli Military Tech Start-Ups Cash In on Two Years of War
(Washington Post) Shira Rubin - A cohort of Israeli military tech firms were born out of, or scaled up during, the war against Hamas in Gaza and as Israel's military campaign spread to Lebanon and Iran. Israel's success against Hizbullah in Lebanon, its intelligence operations in Iran, and commando raids to rescue hostages in Gaza have stoked foreign demand for the weapons and other technology used by Israeli troops. Israeli start-up executives say that foreign requests to purchase their weapons and related systems are up sharply. Industry experts predict that the trend will continue as the U.S. and other NATO countries surge defense budgets and Israel's arms manufacturers and private sector start-ups announce more partnerships with militaries around the world. Hagai Balshai, founder of Robotican, a start-up developing remote-controlled robots, said that the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, prompted an awakening by Israel's military, which quickly turned to the private tech sector for help. Overnight, systems such as drones, robotics and advanced sensors were rushed into use. Dozens of Balshai's employees were called up. While on military duty, he said they used the robots they'd developed to scan booby-trapped buildings, detect noxious gases, and shoot at drones or militants. When an Iranian missile hit Soroka Medical Center during the June war, Balshai outfitted his robots with thermal sensors to search for survivors in the devastated medical wards. Those sensors were then adopted by Israeli special forces for missions "in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and beyond," he said.