Al-Qassam releases footage of a major ATGM attack on an Israeli armored personnel carrier

Hamas’s al-Qassam Brigades on Sunday released footage of a landmark operation in Rafah in which its anti-tank force hit and destroyed a heavily armored personnel carrier.

The operation represents a milestone in the resistance’s confrontation with the Israeli invasion of Rafah, as it was the first time that anti-tank guided missiles were used in the area.

Al-Qassam fighters observed Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on the Palestinian-Egyptian border on Sunday before firing the rocket, destroying a heavily armored personnel carrier.

The footage shows that al-Qassam fighters used what the military media unit calls the “Red Arrow” system, a variant of the Chinese-developed HJ-8 anti-tank missile. As seen in the attack, al-Qassam fighters had been monitoring the position of an armored Israeli force, which included an Ofek APC, which is normally used for command and control purposes.

The APC is based on older versions of the Merkava main battle tank and is equipped with various communications equipment stationed on a bridge that replaces the tank’s 105 mm main gun and other attack systems.

An al-Qassam fighter fired a version of the HJ-8 rocket and aimed the munition at the Ofek vehicle, scoring a direct hit that later set the vehicle ablaze.

The HJ-8 missile used in the video is reportedly the lighter version, designated HJ-8L, and was designed for easier transport, but as the footage shows, it still has high armor penetration.

Israeli troops could be seen fleeing the area of ​​the attack as rescue workers were later sent to the area to recover the injured and the destroyed vehicle. Al-Qassam fighters later fired Rajoum 114mm rocket artillery shells at the rescue workers.

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Due to the nature of the terrain and the dense urbanization of the Gaza Strip, the use of anti-tank missiles is disadvantageous for the Palestinian resistance groups, who are heavily dependent on the use of improvised explosive devices and close-combat weapons, which make extensive use of locally produced and imported anti-tank grenade launchers (RPGs).

However, the southern end of Rafah, particularly in the Tal Zua’rob area, offers more favourable conditions for the use of ATGMs as the area is largely barren and has no residential areas that could obstruct the operator’s view.

Al-Qassam once again refutes the claims of its destruction that figures such as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tried to spread through this operation. The attack and the recovery of detailed footage from Al-Qassam’s cameras are proof that the resistance remains capable of defending the towns and villages of the Gaza Strip, even though war has been raging in the besieged territory for more than 260 days.

It is worth noting that the resistance has, among other things, ATGM systems such as the 9M14 Malyutka, Kornet and the Bulsae-2 of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and is using them to advance into the blockaded Gaza Strip.

Read more: Al-Qassam’s Ghoul sniper rifles are a sign of Palestinian excellence

Operations carried out by the Resistance on June 24, 2024

As for the operations of the Palestinian resistance this Sunday, several armed groups carried out direct and indirect attacks on the occupation forces throughout the Gaza Strip.

The Al-Quds Brigades of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) fired a barrage of mortar shells at the occupation forces.

In a first operation, the brigades said their fighters fired large-caliber mortar shells, probably 120 mm mortar shells, at Israeli occupation troops and vehicles near the Egyptian Tower in the south of Rafah.

Mortar units also attacked the occupying forces in the Tal al-Sultan district.

Further north, fighters from the Al-Quds Brigades attacked Israeli occupation forces positioned along the strategic Netsarim axis that separates the northern Gaza Strip from the rest of the besieged area.

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades also fired 107mm rockets at Israeli forces in Netsarim.

The Al-Quds Brigades rocket force also fired rocket artillery shells at several Israeli settlements, including Avshalom, Holit, occupied Aaskalan, Sderot and Meflasim. Fighters from the Al-Mujahideen Brigades fired a barrage of rockets at the Sufa military base east of Rafah.

In addition, the National Resistance Brigades of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DLFP) fired mortar shells at the occupation forces in the Brazil district of Rafah.

Read more: Rocket production in Gaza: A story of innovation and persistence