Is Hamas Out of Rockets? Gaza’s Shattered Arms Industry

Gaza’s arms industry shattered (Grok AI)
The IDF estimates that Hamas and Islamic Jihad have nearly exhausted their rocket arsenals. The army believes that Gaza terrorists have fired almost all their rockets, with only a limited stockpile remaining, N12 News reported.

According to earlier estimates, Hamas has only hundreds of rockets, most of them short-range. Overall, the group’s firepower declined sharply following more than a year of war.

The IDF’s latest assessment suggests that while Hamas and Islamic Jihad retain the capacity for sporadic rocket attacks, their ability to launch large-scale barrages has been severely curtailed. No rockets have been fired in the first days of Israel’s renewed offensive in Gaza.

With Israel wiping out much of Gaza’s military industry, Hamas is restarting limited arms production in the Strip, Walla News reported. However, these efforts are hampered by acute shortage of raw materials.

Highlighting the Gaza arms crisis, terror operatives have been scavenging for remaining rockets and anti-tank missiles amidst the ruins of destroyed homes, according to Asharq Al-Awsat. This desperate hunt for weapons underscores the depletion of a once-formidable stockpile of at least 15,000 rockets at the start of the war in October 2023.

IDF crushes Gaza’s arms industry

During the war, the IDF conducted extensive operations to dismantle weapons factories in Gaza, targeting the infrastructure that sustained Hamas and Islamic Jihad’s rocket and arms production.

These facilities, often embedded within civilian areas or in underground facilities, have been a focal point of Israel’s campaign to neutralize Gaza’s military industry. The IDF has employed a combination of precision airstrikes, ground incursions, and intelligence-driven raids to destroy these sites.

Israel’s operations have highlighted the massive scale of Gaza’s arms industry. In late 2023, the IDF’s 162nd Division conducted a targeted ground operation in Gaza City’s Zaytun neighborhood, uncovering and destroying a sprawling network of weapons production facilities.

According to an IDF statement, troops located explosive materials and rocket components hidden in residential buildings and underground tunnels. Airstrikes followed, leveling key facilities, including a reported Hamas factory in Jabaliya that produced long-range rockets capable of reaching central Israel.

IDF engineering forces also blew up numerous weapons workshops by setting up controlled detonations, often in underground locations. Israel will now aim to monitor and disrupt any Hamas efforts to restore significant arms production capabilities. [here’s a detailed report on Israel’s 4-step strategy to neutralize the Gaza terror threat]