Smuggling Routes into Gaza
With Gaza hermetically sealed by Israel and Egypt on land, its underground tunnels blocked, and closed off from the sea, where did Hamas get its rockets, mortars, drones, and explosives? This question is notably missing from most analyses of Hamasâ weapons used in the May 2021 Gaza conflict.
In research for this study, a surprising transformation of Hamasâ capabilities became apparent. The terrorist group was no longer a force fighting an asymmetrical war with asymmetrical tactics and weapons. Hamas is now manufacturing a large part of its own weapons, expanding its research, and developing drones and unmanned underwater vehicles, engaging in cyber warfare, and on the cusp of graduating from unguided rockets to precision GPS-guided drones and missiles. It explained why Israel focused on targeting Hamasâ âbrain trustâ â a score of military engineers and experts in aeronautics and cyberwarfare who were trained in Iran, Malaysia