“We supply our enemies”: how Hamas obtains weapons and ammunition from Israel

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Despite the Israeli blockade, Hamas terrorists were able to heavily arm themselves for years. Analysts assumed that the material required for this was mainly smuggled underground into the Gaza Strip. However, Israeli intelligence officials have now discovered that many parts come from their own country. The New York Times reports this.

One reason for this is that only about 90 percent of the ammunition explodes. The remaining 10 percent remains on the ground. The terrorists can then exploit parts of it and use it for their own purposes.

“They are cutting bombs from Israel”

Michael Cardash, an adviser to the Israeli police, explains: “They cut bombs from Israel, artillery bombs from Israel, and a lot of those are used and reused for their explosives and rockets.” Because Israel also uses older munitions, the bombs’ failure rate could be even higher; an Israeli intelligence officer estimates this to be up to 15 percent.

Another way weapons enter Gaza is through theft. Even before October 7, it was common knowledge that Hamas was stealing thousands of bullets and hundreds of guns from poorly guarded bases. Explosives are also said to have reached the West Bank in this way.

More attacks mean more weapon parts

In a New York Times report, Israel is certain: “We supply our enemies with our weapons.” As the country has increasingly attacked targets in the Gaza Strip since October 7, Hamas’s source of weapons components is likely to increase.

The Qassam Brigades, a military wing of Hamas, demonstrated their weapons and ammunition building capabilities years ago. “Our strategy is to reuse these parts and turn this crisis into an opportunity,” one terrorist told Al Jazeera at the time. (obf)

Source: Blick