Rockets, gliders and more: How Hamas compares to Israel in weapons stockpile

It’s a new dawn in Israel, but the fighting that first broke out on Saturday (7 October) continues to grind on. Israeli forces have taken the battle to Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist group, and the ensuing ‘war’ has already claimed the lives of over 1,100 people. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Jonathan Conricus said in a video late on Sunday that it is “by far the worst day in Israeli history”. Comparing the scale of destruction caused by the Hamas to 9/11, he said: “Never before have so many Israelis been killed by one single thing, let alone enemy activity on one day.” As Israel and Hamas both seek to batter the other into submission, it’s interesting to see how both the forces and their weaponry stack up against one other. Hamas’ weapon stockpile On Saturday (7 October), Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel – calling it Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. In the first 20 minutes of its attack, it rained down over 5,000 rockets. Experts state that it is nearly impossible to estimate Hamas’ rocket and missiles. It, however, includes those with varying ranges. The BBC had earlier reported that Hamas has an inventory of shorter-range systems like the Qassam (up to 10 km) and the Quds 101 (up to about 16 km). It also has in its inventory the Grad system with a range of up to 55 km and the Sejil 55. Apart from these, Hamas also operates a variety of longer-range systems like the M-75 (up to 75 km); the Fajr (up to 100 km); the R-160 (up to 120 km); and some M-302s which have a range of up to 200 km. This clearly shows that the terrorist group has weapons that could target both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and threaten the whole coastal strip. [caption id=“attachment_13221902” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] A burnt out car is discarded by the side of a road following a mass infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, near Sderot in southern Israel. Reuters[/caption] But how is it that Hamas has possession of these systems? Due to years of Israeli blockage, Hamas has very limited access to foreign arms smuggled in by tunnels across the Egyptian border. However, it is reported that countries like Iran provide them with not just monetary aid, but also blueprints of engineering know-how, motor tests and other technical expertise to build these weapons. Forbes in one of its previous reports has stated that Iranian advisors have taught Hamas how to manufacture a multitude of larger rockets types costing a few thousand dollars each like the R-160 and Sejil series that can strike cities like Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Besides the homegrown missiles, the Associated Press reports that long time patrons Iran and Syria have also helped smuggle in weapons from other places. For instance, the rockets are shipped to Sudan, trucked across Egypt’s vast desert and smuggled through a warren of narrow tunnels beneath the Sinai Peninsula. However, Iran has denied reports that it has any hand in the current situation, insisting Hamas is carrying out an independent operation. Iran’s Mission to the United Nations strongly dismissed the notion of Quds Force involvement in decision making on the Hamas offensive. It said: “The decisions made by the Palestinian resistance are fiercely autonomous and unwaveringly aligned with the legitimate interests of the Palestinian people. We emphatically stand in unflinching support of Palestine; however, we are not involved in Palestine’s response, as it is taken solely by Palestine itself.” It continued, “They [Israel] are attempting to justify their failure and attribute it to Iran’s intelligence power and operational planning.”

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But Hamas hasn’t just amassed rockets and missiles. The latest attacks reveal that members of the terrorist group breached Israel’s intelligence and enter Israeli territory. NDTV reports that some of the Hamas terrorists used powered gliders to breach Israeli space. Moreover, they also used armed drones to destroy Israel’s most well-defended tank, the Merkava IV. And while the strength of Hamas’ troops is unknown, Daniel Gerlach, a Middle East affairs expert, told Deutsche Welle, “The strength of the elite forces of Hamas is the determination of its people. These fighters do not plan to come back. They go in it… they calculate they are going to die as martyrs. This is a tactical advantage over the Israeli forces.” [caption id=“attachment_13221892” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Israeli soldiers direct an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) at the Israeli side of the Gaza border, as violence around the nearby Gaza Strip mounts following a mass-rampage by armed Palestinian infiltrators. Reuters[/caption] Israel’s military Israel’s military is made up of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF, also known by Hebrew acronym Tzahal), Israel Naval Force (IN) and Israel Air Force (IAF). The IDF on Monday morning (9 October) said that they were still fighting and have attacked around 1,000 targets inside Gaza. They added that there are Hamas gunmen still fighting in seven to eight locations inside Israel. Moreover, the IDF said that it was making sure Hamas pays a “heavy price” for the attack on Saturday. Israel’s military might is renowned. In 2022, the US News & World Report stated that Israel is one of the 10 most powerful, politically influential, and militarily strong countries in the world. Besides its boots on the ground, Israel also has a very advanced stockpile of weapons. At the forefront of this is Israel’s Iron Dome missile shield. In the current attacks, the air defence system, known to be almost impenetrable, having a success rate as high as 96 per cent. [caption id=“attachment_13221922” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] A military helicopter is seen in the sky, as violence around the Gaza Strip mounted following a mass-rampage by armed Hamas infiltrators, on the Israeli side of the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip. Reuters[/caption] It also possesses F-35 stealth fighters and a host of smart bombs that strike targets with minimum collateral damage. The Israeli army also has more than 3,000 tanks, reported to include 441 Merkava MkI, 455 Merkava MkII, 454 Merkava MkIII, 175 Merkava MkIV and 206 Centurion models. Israel is also a nuclear power. This may not be relevant in the war right now, but it certainly has acted as a deterrent in the past. According to some reports, Israel has approximately 90 plutonium-based nuclear warheads, with enough plutonium production capacity for 100-200 weapons. With inputs from agencies