The conflict between Hamas and Israel will complete a week on Saturday as thousands of Israelis, Palestinians and foreigners have been killed since Hamas’ surprise attack from the Gaza Strip last week.
Israel says Hamas gunmen have killed more than 1,200 people and wounded over 2,700 in Israeli cities, towns and kibbutz communities. Meanwhile, more than 1,530 Palestinians, including 500 children have been killed in Israeli strikes.
While the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah have backed Hamas from the north, the United States has deployed one aircraft carrier group to the region.
The conflict is expected to escalate in the coming weeks as it would be the third major ground assault in Gaza since Israel left the seaside enclave in 2005.
Here is all you need to know about the weapons owned by the warring groups:
ISRAEL
Israel’s military has long been supported by the US, with $3.3 billion in congressionally mandated annual funding, plus another $500 million toward missile defense technology.
Israel is one of the best-armed nations in the wider Middle East. Its air force includes the advanced American F-35 fighter jet, missile defense batteries including the American-made Patriot, and the Iron Dome missile defense system.
The Iron Dome is considered among the most advanced defence systems in the word and it uses radar to identify and destroy incoming threats in the air.
The country also has armoured personnel carriers and tanks, and a fleet of drones and other technology available to support any street-to-street battles. Israel trains soldiers on such techniques at its Urban Warfare Training Center, known colloquially as “Mini Gaza.”
Israel has around 170,000 troops on active duty and has called up some 360,000 reservists for the war, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Israel has also long maintained an undeclared nuclear weapons program.
Human Rights Watch has also accused Israel of using white phosphorus munitions in its military operations in Gaza and Lebanon.
HAMAS
Hamas, which has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007, do not have the billions of dollars in aid and advanced weaponry in comparison to Israel.
But the surprise attack on Saturday included militants on paragliders and grenade-dropping drones. Hamas can also leverage guerrilla warfare tactics making its ground assault dangerous for Israeli troops.
Hamas has 15,000 to 20,000 fighters, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies. However, Israel claims the number is up to 30,000 fighters.
The weapons used by Hamas include assault rifles, heavy machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades, and anti-tank weapons, as well as longer-range sniper rifles, according to Associated Press. In the past, Hamas has employed boobytraps and suicide bombers.
While Israel has a vast missile defense network, Hamas has created a vast supply of locally manufactured missiles with the aim of firing multiple salvos to break through. Since the weekend strike, Israeli military claimed over 5,000 missiles were fired toward the country since the war began.
Israeli intelligence in 2021 estimated Hamas and Islamic Jihad, another militant group operating in Gaza, had some 30,000 missiles in their arsenal. Analysts say there are no signs, yet, that Hamas has developed guided missiles, which can more precisely strike at targets.
HEZBOLLAH
Hezbollah is the world’s most heavily armed non-state actor and described as a militia trained like an army and equipped like a state. The Shiite Muslim political party and militant group is based in Lebanon where it enjoys the status of being “a state within a state.”
The Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah operates near Israel’s northern border. Since Hamas’ attack, there have been limited exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and Israel, but no wide-scale offensive. But the forces Hezbollah could bring remain a concern for Israel.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has claimed that the group has 100,000 fighters, though other estimates put its troop strength at less than half that.
Hezbollah holds a vast arsenal “mostly of small, man-portable and unguided surface-to-surface artillery rockets,” according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The US has estimated Hezbollah and other militant groups in Lebanon have some 150,000 missiles and rockets. Hezbollah also has been working on precision-guided missiles.
Hezbollah has previously launched drones into Israel. Its forces also have assault rifles, heavy machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades, roadside bombs and other weaponry.
THE UNITED STATES
The US is providing some personnel and munitions to Israel. The US military has sent the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford and its battle group to the eastern Mediterranean to provide air support along with its surveillance aircraft and F-18 fighter jets.
Meanwhile, the USS Dwight D Eisenhower carrier strike group will leave its homeport of Norfolk, Virginia, and sail for the Mediterranean, potentially doubling the Navy’s Israel response.
The US is also getting US defense companies to expedite weapons orders by Israel that were pending so far.
The US military also maintains a vast network of bases across the wider Middle East. However, because of anger among Muslims in the region, the US will likely be asked not to fly any potential air missions out of those nations, forcing it to rely on carrier-based launches to provide any support.
(With inputs from Associcated Press)
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