Situation between the Israelis and Palestinians escalates very fast, first problems in Jerusalem and on top of Temple Mount at the end of Ramadan prayers, then riots in mixed cities and now rockets being fired at Israel from Gaza. Hamas is using this crisis to make a point - what do they have in their Rocket Arsenal?
Most of the rockets in the Gaza groups’ arsenals have been around since Operation Protective Edge in 2014, but some first came to light in 2019.
As Israel and Gaza take off the kid gloves and escalate to an uncertain outcome, what might the Jewish state have to contend with in Hamas’s and Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s rocket arsenals?
Once upon a time, the Palestinian groups had to receive rockets and materiel directly from Iran or other foreign allies smuggled in by sea or across the Sinai-Gaza border. However, for some years now, both groups have used years of experience with Iranian and other rockets to develop their own versions.
Although Hamas is believed to have far more long-range rockets than PIJ, the Iranian proxy is estimated to have as many as 8,000 short-range rockets, meaning it has more firepower to bring to bear than even Hamas against the nearby Gaza corridor.
Hamas is estimated to have a fighting force of close to 40,000 men, whereas PIJ’s fighting force is believed to be at least 9,000.
From an article in the Jerusalem Post
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