Expert identifies weapons Russia could have transferred to Hamas 

He shared the information on Espreso TV.

"It is officially known that the Hamas militants received Russian Kornet ATGMs. Russian propagandists even boasted about it when they said that their ATGMs were targeting Israeli tanks. As for the other weapons that Hamas has, they are of Iranian origin. It should be noted that Iran could have received such weapons from Russia in the form of finished products or technologies. Since the video of Hamas terrorists using a Soviet handheld anti-tank grenade launcher clearly shows the use of a cumulative charge, which is a very specific munition," Katkov explained.

The expert emphasized that Hamas could not have produced numerous rockets without outside help.

"Hamas, according to the IDF, fired more than 2,000 rockets at Israel on October 7. These rockets are not assembled from some water pipes. We are talking about the mass production of such rockets. They also showed their air defense systems. That is, their weapons no longer look like they are assembled somewhere in basements. They could not have created such weapons without the participation of Iran or Russia," he added.

Events in Israel: latest updates

On the morning of Saturday, October 7, 2023, the Palestinian armed groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad launched a massive air and land attack on the state of Israel in several places. The head of the Hamas military wing, Mohammed Deif, said that his militants had launched the Al-Aqsa Flood operation. According to him, these actions are intended to protect the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

The Palestinians launched 2,000 to 3,000 missiles at Israel and simultaneously seized 7 communities in the south.

In response, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced the mobilization of reservists and the launch of the Iron Swords counterterrorism operation. For the first time in 50 years, the government introduced martial law in the country. 

The IDF actively used aviation to strike Palestinian command posts. It has also begun clearing Hamas-occupied communities.

In addition, there is a great threat that the Shiite Hezbollah could attack Israel from the north, as its main partner and supplier, the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI), has called on jihadists to "liberate Jerusalem."

On the morning of October 8, the Saudi television channel Al Arabiya published the losses of both Palestinians and Israelis during the first day of the renewed military conflict. According to the channel, Israel lost 300 people killed and at least 1,600 wounded. The number of casualties from the Palestinian-populated Gaza Strip is 232 killed and 1,627 wounded. 

On October 8, Israeli troops claimed that Lebanon had attacked their territory, so the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) attacked in response. In particular, Israeli aviation struck a complex belonging to the head of Hamas' intelligence.

Militants of the Lebanese military-political organization Hezbollah fired at Israeli positions on the border with the disputed Golan Heights and supported Hamas in its operation against Israel.

On the afternoon of October 9, the Israeli army regained control of all areas on the border with the Gaza Strip. At this, it is possible that there are still Hamas militants on Israeli territory

At night and during the day on the same day, the Israeli armed forces attacked the Gaza Strip. The main targets were command posts, homes of commanders, militants and ordinary soldiers of the Hamas terrorist organization. The Israeli Ministry of Defense ordered the military to put the Gaza Strip under blockade.

A number of countries have condemned the terrorist attack by Hamas militants and expressed support for Israel in its defense against aggression. Among them are the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Germany, Ukraine, France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Hungary, Norway, Cyprus, India, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Argentina, Australia, and the European Union.