The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has highlighted the stark contrast in their military capabilities.
Israel’s military, akin to those of the U.S. or U.K., boasts a range of high-tech equipment. This includes the domestically-produced Merkava tank, Kfir fighter jets, and advanced F-35 Lightning II jets from the U.S. Israel also utilizes drone technology and is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons, though this is neither confirmed nor denied by Israeli officials.
On the other hand, Hamas, one of the world’s most heavily armed guerrilla groups, lacks the armored vehicles that Israel possesses. Instead, Hamas uses utility vehicles like Land Rovers equipped with weapons such as 30-calibre heavy machine guns.
Despite Israel’s powerful Iron Dome air defense system, Hamas has managed to overwhelm it with a large number of rockets. The group uses various versions of the Iranian-made Fateh-110 surface-to-surface ballistic missiles, which are mobile and can carry warheads weighing up to 500kg. Hamas also possesses anti-tank missiles similar to the U.S. Stinger.
Hamas is well-equipped and trained to use these weapons, experts say. They estimate Hamas has around 10,000 fighters, but the number can increase to 40,000 or 50,000 when violence escalates.
Read more at Sky News.
