A forensic investigation by BBC Arabic has found that Hamas’s military wing is using sophisticated weapons in its war against Israel.
On October 7, in an unprecedented attack, Hamas attacked Israel from Gaza. In this attack, Hamas fired hundreds of rockets and missiles, released drones filled with explosives and used small arms and ammunition on a large scale.
In this, 1200 Israelis were killed and more than 240 hostages were kidnapped and taken to Gaza. Since then, more than 23,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes and ground operations in Gaza.
BBC Arabic has identified four weapons being used by Hamas’ military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades. This raises questions on his capability and how he is purchasing the parts.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) has claimed to have killed 8,000 Hamas fighters, although it provided no evidence. Britain and many western countries have declared Hamas as a terrorist organization. He has not responded to the claims of the Israeli army.
1. ‘Yasin 105’ anti-tank missile
After the Israeli army began ground attacks, the Al-Qassam Brigades released several videos in which the ‘Yasin 105 mm’ anti-tank missile was shown targeting Israeli Merkava tanks in Gaza.
The missile is named after Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the founder of the Hamas movement, and is fired from a Russian-made rocket propelled grenade (RPG) launcher.
Former Brigadier General of the Egyptian Army, Samir Ragheb, says that the special feature of Yasin 105 is the dual warhead design, which contains two explosives.
The first explosive targets the armor of the tank, due to which the missile goes inside partially or completely and then the second explosive works to blow up the tank.
Former British Army intelligence officer Philip Ingram says that this missile can accurately hit targets at a distance of 150-500 meters, while its speed is 300 meters per second.
He says the precision required by this dual warhead design demonstrates Hamas’s ability to manufacture sophisticated weapons.
They say that Israeli tanks are equipped with a system to intercept any missile coming towards them.
But there are reports that the Israeli system with Yasin missile is proving to be a failure. However, BBC Arabic does not confirm this claim.
Military experts estimate that Hamas has a stockpile of 2000 ‘Yasin 105 missiles’.
2. ‘Al Assef’ Torpedo
At the end of October last year, Hamas released a video in which it showed a new weapon, the Al Assef. He claimed that it was used in the October 7 attack.
BBC News Arabic confirmed that the video had not been posted online before.
Experts say that this weapon works unmanned or remotely operated underwater and is designed for underwater operations.
Yasser Hashem, former chief of staff of the Egyptian army, described the weapon as ‘a simple semi-submersible underwater vehicle without a crew’.
He said that it can perform many types of tasks under water like investigation, surveillance, investigation of submerged structures, environmental monitoring and military operations.
Brigadier General Ragheb says the weapon is made in Gaza and its parts, such as compressed gas cylinder, engine, camera and antenna, can be made from contraband and recycled materials.
He also says that any workshop equipped with 3D printing can also make these weapons.
Although Hamas has shown its video of Al Assef Torpedo, there is no concrete evidence of its effectiveness.
Despite claims of its use on October 7, BBC Arabic did not find evidence of its use.
In May 2021, the Israeli military released video footage claiming a small self-propelled submarine attack near the coast, but there were no photographs at the time.
3. North Korean ‘F7 RPG’
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F7 RPG launchers feature prominently in Hamas videos regarding the October 7 attacks and ground clashes against Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip.
These grenade launchers are from North Korea and can be identified by the red stripe on the top of the grenade. BBC Arabic has found several videos of Hamas fighters in possession of F7 RPGs to be authentic.
The Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades has also released a video of a conflict with the same weapon.
The Israeli army showed journalists the weapons seized in Gaza, which included F7 RPGs.
The F7 RPG launcher has a fast reload and is very effective against heavy vehicles.
Philip Ingra says that Hamas has made a lot of improvements in this launcher.
They say they have converted the anti-tank missile into a makeshift shrapnel bomb to be used against troops involved in ground operations.
“There is no clear evidence that this weapon reached Hamas from North Korea or Iran, to which North Korea has been selling weapons for years,” he told BBC Arabic.
However, Pyongyang’s official news agency KCNA has denied allegations of use of North Korean weapons by Hamas. After the attacks on October 7, the North Korean government called these reports ‘baseless rumors and lies’.
But in early January, South Korea’s government news agency said that the intelligence agency believed that Hamas was using North Korean-made weapons in Gaza.
4. Explosive Device ‘The Chavaz’
Another weapon seen in the Hamas video is ‘the Shawaz’, which means flames in Arabic. This is a locally made device which is used to ambush and target vehicles at very close range.
The military wing of Hamas has confirmed that it used it during the ground attack on Israel.
Israel also displayed a large consignment of these weapons seized, indicating that they are being produced locally.
In July 2023, Al-Qassam Brigades showed these explosive devices in a video, to which wires were attached.
Ingra says that in this conflict, Hamas is using its improved model which is capable of destroying Israeli armored vehicles.
They say that these devices contain a copper disc and are explosive. When this bomb explodes, the disc penetrates the armor of the vehicle.
These explosive devices are simple but their design and application are complex.
He says it is challenging to obtain the raw material to make the copper discs and mold them into discs with great precision, but Hamas has demonstrated the ability to make them.
How is Hamas able to make weapons?
Hamas is using metal and wiring from Israel’s unexploded bombs and damaged or destroyed buildings.
Brigadier General Ragheb says Iran helped smuggle weapons into the Gaza Strip through secret tunnels on the border and boats that evaded the Israeli blockade in the Mediterranean Sea.
Former General of Iran Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Ezatollah Zarghami is currently the Tourism Minister of Iran. In an interview on state television last November, he publicly revealed his involvement in supplying Iranian missiles to Palestinian armed groups through tunnels in Gaza.
Former Egyptian army chief of staff Yasser Hashem says Israel does not have complete control over its border and suspects the existence of an “international smuggling route” entering Israel from Lebanon.
In September 2022, Israeli authorities announced that it had foiled an attempt to smuggle weapons through the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza. The explosives were hidden in a shipment of clothes.