The Israeli army is about to launch a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip. Some of their tanks are inadequately prepared for Hamas’ weapons.
Tel Aviv – Israel has assembled four tank divisions on the borders of the Gaza Strip. That’s around 40,000 to 50,000 men and women. This refers to the soldiers from the main battle tanks as well as the tank infantry who are supposed to move up.
Israel’s ground offensive against Hamas: tanks as a risk in Gaza City?
Special forces and the air force are excluded, which is why the number of soldiers deployed is likely to be much larger. The insidious attack on Israel by the radical Islamist Palestinian Hamas has put the government and the army leadership under pressure.
Both state organs want to respond decisively – with a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip, the likes of which have never been seen since the country was founded in 1948. However, the tanks that the armed forces have deployed are inadequate for fighting in the narrow streets of Gaza City. One tank even has a striking weakness that is familiar from the war in Ukraine. Merkur.de provides an overview.
Israeli army tank: Merkava is supposed to protect the north against Hezbollah
- Merkava main battle tank: The war in Israel will drag on, many experts agree. The country, surrounded by enemies (Lebanon, Hezbollah, PLO, Syria, Iran), has prepared with the advanced and powerful Merkava main battle tank. Israel is said to have almost 500 of these tanks, which is remarkable given its population of around 9.4 million. The “Matador Mk 1” digital fire control system with a laser rangefinder and sensors for ballistics calculation, a periscope with up to 8x magnification for the gunner and a thermal imaging device enable precise hits.
- But: The Israeli Air Force has already caused several streets in Gaza City to collapse, and entire houses (including civilian victims) are lying on the streets. The risk of sending battle tanks into these blockades is likely to be too great in many cases. It is more likely that the Merkava are intended to secure the north of the country against Hezbollah with the long range of their Royal Ordnance L7 rifled cannon (up to 1.8 kilometers). Photos from the region suggest this.
Israeli Army tank: M109 self-propelled howitzer does not always fire accurately
- Howitzer M109: It is the standard howitzer (from the 1960s) of NATO, of which Israel is not a member. Right at the beginning of the ground offensive, the Israeli army positioned a number of M109s behind apparently existing earthworks in order to fire on Hamas. Their mostly unguided 155 mm ammunition hardly enables precise hits. This poses a risk for uninvolved civilians. The Israeli army also has around 30 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS), which the German Bundeswehr also uses. It is the counterpart to the American HIMARS. This allows you to hit targets with meter precision. It is quite possible that the MLRS rockets with a range of up to 80 kilometers will be used against Hamas shelters.
Israeli Army tank: State-of-the-art Namer infantry fighting vehicle
- Armored personnel carrier Namer: The Israeli soldiers appear highly motivated. You have all probably seen the terrible pictures, for example from the “Nature Party Festival” at the Israeli Kibbutz Re’im. Armored personnel carriers are supposed to bring them into the operational area. The ultra-modern Namer, for example, which only went into service in 2008. Sloped sides and composite armor are intended to protect the crew from the impact of the dreaded anti-tank guided weapons, such as those used in the Ukraine war. There, the comparatively old Soviet RPG-7 anti-tank rifle proved effective in stopping enemy tanks.
- Hamas also has many Soviet-designed shoulder-mounted anti-tank weapons. This is likely to be a major challenge, especially if Israeli troop transports come under fire from buildings from above. One disadvantage: Most tanks apparently lack a hardkill protection system that shoots scrap ammunition when grenades approach. The Namer, on the other hand, has a remotely controlled weapon station.
Israeli Army tank: Achzarit has reactive armor
- Achzarit armored personnel carrier: It is the much older (and worse) of the two armored personnel carrier types. However, around 100 Achzarit are still said to be available, based on the hulls of the (very) old Soviet T-54/T-55 tanks of the then Arab armies captured in the Six-Day War in 1967 and the Yom Kippur War in 1973. The armor is just 20 millimeters. After all, when the combat value was increased, reactive armor was installed, which is intended to prevent tank shells from penetrating when the outer shell explodes.
Israeli Army Tank: M113 does not provide protection against RPG shells
- Personnel transport M113: The 1960s M113 has several flaws. First of all, the old age should be mentioned. Although it has been repeatedly modernized, the body is based on the standards of the time. This means: The side pans are steep. And therefore an easy target for shoulder-mounted anti-tank weapons that simply cannot ricochet. In addition, the armor in some models is no more than 12 millimeters and is not made of steel, but aluminum. If a single one of the ten wheels around which the two chains are mounted breaks, the vehicle is simply unable to maneuver. Once you hit a booby trap, the entire crew has to disembark in enemy territory. Significantly: During the Israelis’ “Operation Rainbow” in May 2004 against the Gaza border town of Rafah, several M113s were lost to RPG fire.
The Ukrainians also lost several of the American M113 troop transports supplied in the fight against the Russian army. Will the Israeli army now face a similar fate against Hamas? (pm)
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