JERUSALEM (AP) – The Hamas militant group that governs Gaza has replenished its arsenal since the 2014 war with Israel and now has a vast collection of rockets, guided missiles and drones, said an Israeli military commander.
According to Israeli military estimates, Hamas has about 7,000 rockets, in addition to 300 anti-tanks and 100 anti-aircraft, the commander said.
He also acquired dozens of unmanned aerial vehicles and has an army of around 30,000 militants, including 400 naval commandos who received training and sophisticated equipment to conduct maritime operations, added the commander. He spoke on condition of anonymity under military guidelines.
The smaller Islamic Jihad group, which usually acts independently from Hamas, has a similar arsenal, the commander said. That includes 6,000 rockets, dozens of drones and anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles and about 400 naval forces.
Hamas also made use of attack tunnels under the Gaza border during the 2014 war. Israel has discovered and destroyed about 20 tunnels since the end of hostilities, including a large one last October that was still under construction.
The commander said an underground barrier equipped with sensors to detect tunnels is 99% complete and will cover the entire 37-mile (60 km) border.
Hamas, which opposes Israel, took control of Gaza from rival Palestinian forces in 2007. Since then, Israel has fought three wars with Hamas and numerous minor skirmishes with it and Islamic Jihad.
Israel pointed to Hamas’ increasingly sophisticated military capabilities to justify the blockade it has imposed on the coastal strip since the militant group took power. The blockade, supported by neighboring Egypt, strongly affected the population of the territory of 2 million Palestinians.
Last week, the International Criminal Court in The Hague ruled that its chief prosecutor had jurisdiction to open an investigation into possible war crimes committed by Israel and Hamas. If an investigation is opened, the prosecutor said she could look into Israeli military attacks on Gaza, as well as Palestinian militant rockets and the use of human shields.
Israeli officials say they are not deterred. Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi, chief of the military staff, warned in a recent speech that, in future conflicts, Israel would use heavy force in residential areas where rockets are stored and launched. He said Israeli troops would alert civilians to evacuate their homes before launching such attacks.