JERUSALEM (AP) – The Hamas militant group that rules Gaza has replenished its arsenal since a 2014 war with Israel and now has a large collection of rockets, guided missiles and drones, a senior Israeli military commander said on Thursday.
According to Israeli military estimates, Hamas has about 7,000 rockets, as well as 300 anti-aircraft guns and 100 anti-aircraft missiles, the commander said.
It also purchased dozens of unmanned aerial vehicles and has an army of about 30,000 militants, including 400 naval commandos who have received sophisticated training and equipment to carry out naval operations, the commander added. He spoke on the basis of military guidelines on anonymity.
The smaller Islamic Jihad group, which often acts independently of Hamas, boasts a similar arsenal, the commander said. These include 6,000 rockets, dozens of drones and anti-aircraft and anti-aircraft missiles, and about 400 naval forces.
Hamas also used attack tunnels under the Gaza border during the war in 2014. Israel has discovered and destroyed about 20 tunnels since hostilities ended, including a large one that was still under construction last October.
The commander said an underground barrier equipped with sensors to detect tunnels was 99% complete and would cover the entire 60-kilometer border.
Hamas, which opposes the existence of Israel, took control of Gaza from rival Palestinian forces in 2007. Since then, Israel has waged three wars with Hamas and numerous smaller skirmishes with it and Islamic Jihad.
Israel has pointed to the increasingly sophisticated military capabilities of Hamas to justify the blockade imposed by the coastal strip since the militant group took power. The blockade, backed by neighboring Egypt, has taken a heavy toll on the population of 2 million Palestinians.
Last week, the International Criminal Court in The Hague ruled that its chief prosecutor has jurisdiction to investigate possible war crimes by Israel and Hamas. If an investigation is opened, the prosecutor said she could look at Israeli military attacks in Gaza, as well as Palestinian militant rockets and the use of human shields.
Israeli officials say they are not deterred. In a recent speech, Lieutenant General Aviv Kohavi, the military chief of staff, warned that Israel would use heavy force in future conflicts in residential areas where rockets are stored and launched. He said Israeli troops would warn civilians to evacuate their homes before launching such strikes.