Senior Hamas political and military officials claim that the majority of its weapons, including small arms, ammunition, rockets and other explosive devices are locally produced. “Some [Hamas] weapons are smuggled in, but many have been locally manufactured,” said Gaza-based writer and analyst Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, who has studied the group’s weapon-making capabilities. “Sometimes, that’s the only way they can get them.”An Israeli soldier displays a seized Hamas weapons cache; October 20, 2023. The Egyptian official also noted that “many” weapons in Gaza are “smuggled in from Israel.”Iran acknowledges funding Hamas and training it to manufacture its own weapons. Recent investigations into the weapons used by Hamas in Gaza and Israel have identified that some were made in Iran, China, Russia, North Korea and Bulgaria.

Source: The North Africa Journal February 03, 2024 18:39 UTC