On Wednesday, Palestinian militants paraded through Gaza City, showcasing their weaponry, including rockets and drones, as they marked the 36th anniversary of the founding of the Islamic Jihad movement.
In recent years, the Islamic Jihad forces in the besieged Gaza Strip have engaged in several violent clashes with Israel, including the most recent one in May, during which a five-day cross-border conflict resulted in the deaths of 34 Palestinians, including six commanders of the militant group, as well as one Israeli.
According to an Islamic Jihad official, approximately 4,500 members of the Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian extremist group, participated in Wednesday’s procession.
The event featured domestically manufactured rockets mounted on trucks concealed in green camouflage, as well as missiles and three varieties of drones.
Also Read: US and EU Seek Legal Basis to Transfer $300 Billion Russian Assets to Ukraine – Blinken
A spokesperson for the Al-Quds Brigades stated, “The new Buraq missiles have a range of 85 kilometers (50 miles), and the improved Badr 3 missiles have an explosive warhead weighing 400 kilos (880 pounds).” The spokesperson also mentioned that one of the displayed missiles was locally produced and had not yet been used against Israel, without providing further details.
Regarding the drones, the spokesperson noted that they could be utilized to target objectives deep inside Israel.
Gaza has been subjected to a severe blockade imposed by Israel since the Islamist group Hamas took control of the narrow coastal enclave in 2007. Israel contends that these stringent restrictions on goods and movement are necessary due to Hamas’s significant efforts to arm itself for attacks against the Jewish state.
