Hamas using ‘massive’ stockpile of Chinese weaponry in Gaza, says Israel (original) (raw)
IDF uncovers items such as assault rifles, grenade launchers, and telescopic sights for rifles and cartridges for M16s
05 January 2024 5:45pm GMT
Chinese weaponry including assault rifles and grenade launchers is being used by Hamas to wage war in Gaza, Israeli investigations have revealed.
Stockpiles of hi-tech supplies uncovered by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) contained telescopic sights for rifles and cartridges for M16s as well as an array of communications equipment such as listening devices and tactical military radios.
Israeli investigators are now working to determine how the equipment made it into Hamas’s hands amid concerns Beijing may have been directly involved.
“This has come as a big surprise as before the war, relations were very good, but we have found massive amounts of Chinese weaponry and the question is, did it come directly from China to Hamas or not?” an Israeli intelligence source told The Telegraph.
“This is top-grade weaponry and communications technology, stuff that Hamas didn’t have before, with very sophisticated explosives which have never been found before and especially on such a large scale.”
QBZ assault rifles and QLZ87 automatic grenade launchers were among the haul uncovered by the IDF.
IDF says the weapons stockpile contained telescopic sights for rifles and cartridges for M16s Credit: Ahmed Zakot/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
An example of a QBZ assault rifle
It warned the weaponry was supplemented by intelligence and communications equipment suspected to be capable of working within the terror group’s complex tunnel system, used by Hamas gunmen to launch surprise attacks on Israeli troops.
The discoveries threaten once thriving ties between Israel and China which have chilled in the wake of the October 7 Hamas attacks.
Beijing’s reluctance to support Israel’s right to defend itself in the wake of Hamas’s cross-border assault, which saw some 1,140 people murdered and hundreds of others taken hostage, has irked the Jewish state in particular.
On October 14, Wang Yi, the Foreign Minister of China, said Israel’s actions went “beyond the scope of self-defence” and demanded that it stop imposing “group punishment” on Palestinians, while still refusing to condemn Iran-backed Hamas for its atrocities.
China has moved to expand its influence in the Middle East as part of a bid to gain leverage against its arch-rival, the US, and experts said the discovery of the cache of supplies will now pose major strategic and diplomatic questions for Beijing.
“The question of course is did the Chinese know it was going to Hamas or did it come through a third party like Iran?” said Dr Patrick Bury, a defence expert from the University of Bath and a former Nato analyst and infantry officer.
“You’re talking about what is essentially modern professional infantry kit. There is some serious kit here even though it’s not heavy weaponry. The grenade launchers are a lethal support weapon in particular. The lethality of Hamas fighters can be raised significantly from this kind of equipment.”
A QLZ87 automatic grenade launcher, described by a defence expert as 'lethal'
Iran is known to have trained and armed Hamas terrorists and is likely to have played at least some role in the transfer of the Chinese-made equipment to Hamas, according to Dr Bury.
“If it’s a large quantity, it’s most likely a state actor involved, and that state actor is highly likely to be Iran. It could be stuff that was purchased by Iran off China and found its way to Hamas. There are other potential actors but much less likely,” he said.
“China will not like the Iranians doing this with their kit. It’s not a good look if it’s a massive haul and trust will become an issue.”
Beijing’s own hand in arming and training Palestinian factions stretches back decades but waned after 1992’s resumption of diplomatic ties with Jerusalem.
Relations had previously been cut under China’s hardline Communist regime which supported Palestine as a symbol of anti-Western imperialism.
Magazines with cartridges for an M16 rifle Credit: Yurii Stefanyak/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images
The resumption of ties resulted in huge economic gains for both sides and saw China emerge as Israel’s biggest trading partner.
Under the watchful eye of Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, Beijing has also been pivotal in Israeli infrastructure developments such as its light rail network and has acquired a substantial share in Israel’s Haifa port.
However, despite warming relations in recent years, China still refuses to designate Hamas a terror group and experts say state media has been notably supportive of its propaganda in recent months as the war in Gaza has raged.
“This approach is a stark departure from Beijing’s past impassivity toward Middle East conflicts in which Chinese officials had usually sought to avoid entanglement,” said Michael Singh, head of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy think-tank.
“Rather, it reflects the government’s new inclination to use far-flung conflicts as opportunities to undermine the United States.”
The shifting perspective has not gone unnoticed in Israel’s corridors of power.
“China has changed its attitude to Israel dramatically and it’s gone totally towards a position of anti-Semitism now,” the Israeli intelligence source told The Telegraph.
“Before October 7, the Chinese loved Israel and Jews and felt a sense of admiration [for them] but now, the media coverage hasn’t even shown the Chinese public what happened on October 7, only the aftermath. The regime is brainwashing the public in a totally different direction and it’s happening at an unprecedented pace.”