Although the recent tensions between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip have led to destruction and casualties on both sides, the two sides are not equal in this fight.
Israel is far more powerful. It has an air force, armed drones, intelligence gathering systems and can target the Gaza Strip. Israel claims to target only those sites that are used for military, but the dense population of the Palestinian territories makes it almost impossible for civilians to die.
Hamas is a weak militant to the conflict, but they have the weapons to take action against Israel. Israeli forces recently shot down a drone that could have been armed. Israel also claims that an elite Hamas unit tried to enter Israel through a tunnel from the southern part of the Gaza Strip, but Israel had prior notice and destroyed the tunnel.
The most important weapons possessed by Palestinian militant groups are surface-to-surface missiles. Some of these, such as the current-guided anti-tank missiles, are thought to have been brought from Egypt through tunnels.
But most of the Hamas' weapons come from an armaments factory inside the Gaza Strip. The Israelis believe Iranian experts were involved in the factory's construction. Israel claims to target weapons production and storage facilities.
How Many Weapons Does Hamas Have?
It is impossible to estimate how many weapons does Hamas have. The Israeli military has its own estimates, but they are not released. The Palestinians seem to use a variety of rockets, but none of them are newer or more complex. But mostly, the trend is that both the range and payload of weapons are increasing.
There are many types of missile names and models, but Hamas has several short-range missiles, such as the Qassam (6 to 10 km range) or Al-Quds 101 (16 km range). There are also grade systems (55km range) and Siegel 55 (55km range). Also, mortar shells are used for the shortest range.
Hamas also has long-range systems such as the M-75 (75km range), Al-Fajr (up to 100km), R-160 (up to 120km), and some M-302S that are 200km range. So it is clear that Hamas weapons could target Tel Aviv or Jerusalem, as well as the coastal areas of Israel, where most of the country's population and most important installations are located.
The Israeli military claims that of the nearly 1,000 rockets fired at it in the past three days, about 200 fell within the Gaza Strip, possibly in making IEDs or assembling them in different locations.
The Israeli military says 90 percent of the rockets fired were intercepted by its Iron Dome system. But part of the Iron Dome, which was defending the city of Ashkelon, was offline in recent tensions because of a technical glitch. This is not a complete 100% successful anti-missile system.
One problem of Palestine is that it has no strategic depth and no place to go. Ground operations reduce missile strikes. But as in the previous Israeli operation in 2014, 2,251 Palestinians, including 1,462 civilians, were killed and six civilians, including 67 Israeli soldiers, were killed.
This cycle of rocket attacks and Israeli attacks does not give victory to either side. At most, there is peace for a while and then the same story. Many say the tensions in Jerusalem have led to fighting this time around, which shows you can't ignore the conflict.
But as the Arab governments sign peace agreements with Israel, the Palestinians do not have an internal alliance, and this is not even on the agenda of the Israeli leadership, so it is difficult to move towards peace. This will require a genuine desire for peace on both sides and strong and lasting efforts by external forces. Apparently, none of these conditions exist yet.