some of the most advanced personal weaponry available to a modern military, but they nonetheless face great danger on the ground in Gaza.
The Islamist militant group Hamas, masters of asymmetrical warfare, has several key weapons that can inflict heavy casualties on an invading force, despite being overmatched.
These weapons were not of great concern to Israel when it was attacking from sea and air. But the danger has increased exponentially since Israel launched its ground assault over the weekend.
One significant danger every Israeli soldier faces in Gaza is a foe who is yearning to give up his life. Hamas has built a force of willing suicide bombers whose explosive vests are typically packed with an assortment of shrapnel to raise the casualty rate among their targets.
While Israeli soldiers are prepared to die in the defense of their country, they are also trained to survive. The suicide bomber is, therefore, a weapon available only to one side of this conflict.
Hamas has been talking tough in the face of superior military power; its leaders have vowed to inflict massive casualties.
"Gaza will be your cemetery," and "we will fight until the last breath," Hamas spokesman Ismail Radwan said in a written statement.
As Israel pushes into Gaza on the ground, it does not know exactly what weapons -- and how many of them -- Hamas possesses.
"We don't know what has been smuggled into Gaza," said David Schenker, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute and a former Pentagon official specializing in Middle East issues.
Hamas lacks air, sea and armor assets, so it has little hope of successfully challenging Israeli forces on an open battlefield. But a modern military's overwhelming advantage dwindles quickly in an urban environment.
Hamas, Schenker said, has claimed possession of American-manufactured weapons the State Department gave to its political rival, Fatah. The weapons, intended to help bolster the precarious security situation of the Fatah government, now could be used to fight the Israeli military.
Source: FOXNews.Com
The Islamist militant group Hamas, masters of asymmetrical warfare, has several key weapons that can inflict heavy casualties on an invading force, despite being overmatched.These weapons were not of great concern to Israel when it was attacking from sea and air. But the danger has increased exponentially since Israel launched its ground assault over the weekend.
One significant danger every Israeli soldier faces in Gaza is a foe who is yearning to give up his life. Hamas has built a force of willing suicide bombers whose explosive vests are typically packed with an assortment of shrapnel to raise the casualty rate among their targets.
While Israeli soldiers are prepared to die in the defense of their country, they are also trained to survive. The suicide bomber is, therefore, a weapon available only to one side of this conflict.
Hamas has been talking tough in the face of superior military power; its leaders have vowed to inflict massive casualties.
"Gaza will be your cemetery," and "we will fight until the last breath," Hamas spokesman Ismail Radwan said in a written statement.
As Israel pushes into Gaza on the ground, it does not know exactly what weapons -- and how many of them -- Hamas possesses.
"We don't know what has been smuggled into Gaza," said David Schenker, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute and a former Pentagon official specializing in Middle East issues.
Hamas lacks air, sea and armor assets, so it has little hope of successfully challenging Israeli forces on an open battlefield. But a modern military's overwhelming advantage dwindles quickly in an urban environment.
Hamas, Schenker said, has claimed possession of American-manufactured weapons the State Department gave to its political rival, Fatah. The weapons, intended to help bolster the precarious security situation of the Fatah government, now could be used to fight the Israeli military.
Source: FOXNews.Com
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