Hamas rockets threaten Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, Israeli media reports
Shafaq News/ The Palestinian militant group Hamas possesses long-rangemissile capabilities capable of reaching Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, according to areport by the Israeli website Walla.
Despite Israel's military superiority, concerns persist about Hamas'capability to target Israeli cities.
Last May, Hamas attacked Tel Aviv, triggering sirens and marking itsfirst assault on central Israel since the start of the October 2023 conflict.
Rafah is situated approximately 100 kilometers south of Tel Aviv andabout 80 kilometers from Gaza to Jerusalem.
Notably, the Israeli Channel 12 disclosed, earlier this month, acomprehensive evaluation by the Israeli military of Hamas's militarycapabilities, focusing on its readiness to reinitiate attacks on Israelisettlements, construct new tunnels, and launch offensive operations.
According to the report, Israeli military analysts have concluded that"even if hostilities cease, Hamas retains the capability to mount assaultsnear the border and potentially breach it."
The assessment highlighted the ongoing tunnel infrastructure withinGaza's central camps, which enables Hamas to execute both surface-level andsubterranean attacks.
Sources within the Israeli military revealed to Channel 12 that Hamashas actively rehabilitated numerous tunnels in Khan Yunis, along with aconcrete production facility crucial for tunnel construction.
Israeli assessments further indicate that Hamas's tunnel networks remainlargely intact in central Gaza camps, significant parts of Rafah, and theShejaiya neighborhood.
An analysis from the Associated Press of over 150 videos and photos fromthe initial three months of combat since Hamas' surprise attack on Israel onOctober 7 reveals a diverse arsenal smuggled past a 17-year blockade aimed athalting military buildups.
The arsenal includes Iranian sniper rifles, AK-47 assault rifles fromChina and Russia, North Korean and Bulgarian rocket-propelled grenades, andhomemade anti-tank rockets, all deadly in Gaza's intense urban warfare. Hamasfighters, lightly armed, employ hit-and-run tactics against Israel'stechnologically superior forces. Recent propaganda videos show sniperrifle-scope shootings of Israeli soldiers.
Experts identified weapon origins from images, noting sources includingRussia, China, and Iran, with some likely from Middle Eastern black markets.Despite the blockade, Hamas acquired new weapons, possibly smuggled by boat,tunnel, or hidden in goods shipments.
"Their arms are mostly Russian, Chinese, or Iranian, with NorthKorean and former Warsaw Pact countries' weapons also present," said N.R.Jenzen-Jones, director of Armament Research Services in Australia.
Hamas' arsenal spans small arms, machine guns, shoulder-firedsurface-to-air missiles, and homemade anti-tank projectiles. Notable is theIranian-made AM-50 Sayyad sniper rifle, penetrating up to an inch of steel,also seen in Yemen, Syria, and with Iraqi Shia militias.
AP's findings include Soviet-era weapons replicated in Iran and China,like versions of the Russian 9M32 Strela portable anti-aircraft missile system.A Chinese-style grip stock on a missile launcher matches Iran's military andHezbollah.
Weapons recovered include Italian-designed TC/6 anti-tank mines, copiedby Iran. Hamas also uses Chinese Type 80 machine guns, copied as PKM-T80 byIran.
A Hamas homemade version of Russia's PG-7VR anti-tank rocket, defeatingIsrael's Merkava Mark VI tank reactive armor, debuted in October as theAl-Yasin 105, honoring their founder slain in 2004.
From Ukraine tactics, Hamas uses Iranian drones with warheads andChinese quadcopters for explosive drops.
