Al-Jazeera Network (Qatar) aired a report on Hamas' anti-tank unit on May 31, 2021. Al-Jazeera's reporter met with an Al-Qas'am Brigades anti-tank unit inside a Hamas military tunnel. Unit members showed the Al-Jazeera correspondent the spot where they launched an attack on an IDF armored bus in the Zikim military base on May 20, 2020. A member of the unit said that he and another "mujahid" spent five days monitoring movements within the position and reciting Quran, and that when they spotted a bus full of soldiers they fired a Kornet missile. According to IDF sources, the bus in question was empty and there were no Israeli casualties in the incident. Members of the anti-tank unit also told Al-Jazeera that they were responsible for another Kornet attack against an IDF vehicle in Netiv HaAsara, in which an IDF soldier was killed and others wounded. The unit members said that now they have qualified shooters, and that "occupation forces" must take them into serious consideration. They added that IDF soldiers now hide in trenches and forests, in fear of Hamas' anti-tank units. The correspondent ended the report by asking: "What have the Al-Qassam Brigades prepared for the [Israeli] armored corps if it decided to launch a ground invasion into the Gaza Strip?"
To view the clip of the Al-Jazeera report on MEMRI TV, click here or below.
Hamas Anti-Tank Unit Fighter: "We Received Orders From Our Commanders To Load The Anti-Tank Missile Emplacements... And To Open Fire At The Vehicles And Gatherings Of The Zionist Enemy"
Journalist:"I am walking in one of Al-Qassam's tunnels, where the anti-tank unit is located. This unit was given special missions during the recent escalation against the Gaza Strip and it carried out successful strikes. We will now have an exclusive interview with them.
[...]
"First tell us about the nature of your work as an anti-tank unit, in the recent escalation against the Gaza Strip."
Soldier 1: "On the first day of the Battle of the Sword of Jerusalem, we received orders from our commanders to load the anti-tank missile emplacements, and to deploy our men and our mujahideen in the relevant combat zones in order to open fire at the vehicles and the gatherings of the Zionist enemy in the areas adjacent to our location and which are within our sight. The fighters and necessary equipment were allocated to all the combat zones, but when the battle began the enemies vanished completely in trenches, behind walls, and in groves, for fear of being targeted. Even the forces that the enemy was using for its alleged ground operation disappeared completely in the groves.
"Despite the heavy bombardment of the area by the enemy's airplanes and tanks located in [Israeli] territory, our mujahideen did not budge or withdraw. They kept vigilant, watching for the enemy forces to make a move. When the first target appeared on May 13, 2021 – a military jeep in the northern sector, near the Netiv HaAsara settlement, about 4 kilometers away – it was immediately targeted with a Kornet missile. Allah be praised, it was an accurate and successful hit, thanks to Allah. The enemy acknowledged that [soldiers] had been killed and wounded in that operation. The second target was an armored bus transporting Zionist soldiers. It was inside the Zikim military bus and it was targeted from more than five kilometers away. For that purpose, our mujahideen spent days and nights, until they managed to hit that target accurately."
Soldier 2: "On May 15, we were in this position. Another mujahid and I spent five days here. We passed the day reciting the Quran, asking Allah for forgiveness, and monitoring the enemy's movements. This is the launcher of the missile that we fired at the armored bus, which was full of soldiers in the Zikim military base. As soon as the target passed there, at 10 AM, on May 20, 2021, I fired at it. I launched a Kornet missile from this exact spot. The target received a direct hit, Allah be praised."
Al-Jazeera Reporter: "[Anti-Tank Unit] Fighters Train With Advanced Simulators, Manufactured By The Engineers Of The Al-Qassam Brigades In The Gaza Strip... They Managed To Neutralize The [Israeli] Armored Corps At The Gaza Border"
Reporter: "It has been noted that your recent operation were accurate. Do the fighters in this unit undergo training which is different than the training out there?"
Soldier 1: "The reason, first of all, is the success Allah bestows upon us. Apart from that, the mujahideen undergo intensive training programs. Today, we are unveiling a part of that training – the simulator program. This training program is used by the anti-tank snipers, who shoot hundreds and thousands of times at close and far targets, in addition to stationary and moving targets, and in any environment where the Zionist enemy is located. We now have highly qualified shooters whom the occupation forces have to take into serious consideration, and hide in trenches and behind walls for fear of their bullets and missiles. All this is by the grace of Allah."
Reporter: "I am standing at one of the training posts of the Al-Qassam Brigades' anti-tank unit. The fighters train with advanced simulators, manufactured by the engineers of the Al-Qassam brigades in the Gaza Strip.
"The Al-Qassam Brigades managed to use guided weapons in the last war. They managed to neutralize the [Israeli] armored corps at the Gaza border, despite its advanced system. The question that remains open is: What have the Al-Qassam Brigades prepared for the [Israeli] armored corps, in case it decided to start a ground invasion into the Gaza Strip? Goodbye."
