Hamas is a terrorist organization with a varied, deadly arsenal and arms and weapons on the scale of what a country might possess. Its order of battle includes about 30,000 fighters, organized in divisions and battalions, with several thousand belonging to the Nukhba fighters force, which are skilled ground commando and naval commando fighters. A large part of the fighting force and many of the weapons are in the Gaza underground space, and therefore its destruction requires much caution and sophistication.
The organization's rocket threat includes about 18,000-20,000 rockets of different ranges, such as short-range Badr rockets; Fajr 5 with 90 kg of explosives for a range of 75-80 km, which includes the central Gush Dan area; an R-160 rocket or Badr 3 for a range of 160 km and a payload of 250 kg of explosives; and the Ayyash rocket that reaches a distance of 250 km.
In addition, the weapons array includes anti-tank missiles, mainly Kornet missiles, RPG grenades, thousands of hand grenades, mines – including magnetically attached mines, machine guns, assault rifles, sniper rifles, and a small number of surface-to-air missiles against low-flying targets. The Kornet missile is a missile that “rides” on a laser beam, with an effective range of 5-8 km, carrying in its nose a hollow charge of 4.5 kg of explosive or fuel-air containing a flammable cloud, and has the ability to penetrate steel 1 m thick. This missile is a major threat to IDF armored vehicles or tanks, and can be neutralized successfully by the Windbreaker system.
In the air dimension, beside the rockets, Hamas has some UAVs and a fleet of drones. The UAVs in the hands of Hamas are derivatives of the Iranian Ababil UAV as well as a self-designed and produced UAV called Zawari. Hamas has a large number of 4-8 blade drones for photography, attack, or suicide missions. This huge arsenal reaches the terrorist organization by smuggling from Iran through the Sinai Desert and from there through tunnels to the Gaza Strip, smuggling by sea from Lebanon, and self-production in underground workshops or “innocent” civilian sites. The IDF has the technological and operational capabilities to deal with and eliminate these threats, and this has been done successfully in the current war.
Hamas is a terrorist organization with a varied, deadly arsenal and arms and weapons on the scale of what a country might possess. Its order of battle includes about 30,000 fighters, organized in divisions and battalions, with several thousand belonging to the Nukhba fighters force, which are skilled ground commando and naval commando fighters. A large part of the fighting force and many of the weapons are in the Gaza underground space, and therefore its destruction requires much caution and sophistication.
The organization's rocket threat includes about 18,000-20,000 rockets of different ranges, such as short-range Badr rockets; Fajr 5 with 90 kg of explosives for a range of 75-80 km, which includes the central Gush Dan area; an R-160 rocket or Badr 3 for a range of 160 km and a payload of 250 kg of explosives; and the Ayyash rocket that reaches a distance of 250 km.
In addition, the weapons array includes anti-tank missiles, mainly Kornet missiles, RPG grenades, thousands of hand grenades, mines – including magnetically attached mines, machine guns, assault rifles, sniper rifles, and a small number of surface-to-air missiles against low-flying targets. The Kornet missile is a missile that “rides” on a laser beam, with an effective range of 5-8 km, carrying in its nose a hollow charge of 4.5 kg of explosive or fuel-air containing a flammable cloud, and has the ability to penetrate steel 1 m thick. This missile is a major threat to IDF armored vehicles or tanks, and can be neutralized successfully by the Windbreaker system.
In the air dimension, beside the rockets, Hamas has some UAVs and a fleet of drones. The UAVs in the hands of Hamas are derivatives of the Iranian Ababil UAV as well as a self-designed and produced UAV called Zawari. Hamas has a large number of 4-8 blade drones for photography, attack, or suicide missions. This huge arsenal reaches the terrorist organization by smuggling from Iran through the Sinai Desert and from there through tunnels to the Gaza Strip, smuggling by sea from Lebanon, and self-production in underground workshops or “innocent” civilian sites. The IDF has the technological and operational capabilities to deal with and eliminate these threats, and this has been done successfully in the current war.