(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — A report by an Israeli newspaper Maariv has estimated that more than 500 Israeli military armored vehicles have been damaged by Palestinian fighters since the conflict in the Gaza Strip began in October last year.
The Hebrew-language newspaper stated that several dozen of these damaged armored vehicles are beyond repair and have been decommissioned from the nation’s military service.
The Israeli military has established two logistics centers within the Gaza Strip to repair its vehicles damaged in the conflict with Palestinian fighters, including armored cars and tanks.
Maariv also reported that the soldiers responsible for transporting these vehicles to the Gaza Strip are under significant physical and mental stress.
“If Israeli soldiers are called to fight in southern Lebanon, they will be there, but they will not be in good condition,” the newspaper added.
Tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border have recently escalated, leading many to predict that a war between the Israeli military and Hezbollah fighters could erupt at any time.
In December last year, international defense observers reported that since the armed conflict began on October 7 between Palestinian and Hezbollah fighters and the Israeli military, a total of 335 various Israeli military vehicles have been reported destroyed or damaged in the fighting so far.
These vehicles include armored cars, tanks, helicopters, buses, tankers, and others, affected by the battles in Gaza, Israel, and southern Lebanon.
Previously, Defence Security Asia reported that satellite images from northern Gaza showed that 88 Israeli military armored vehicles and tanks were destroyed or severely damaged by anti-tank weapons fired by small Palestinian fighter units.
The international defense observers monitoring the situation in Gaza stated that this number represents 23 percent of the 383 Israeli military armored vehicles detected by satellites in action in northern Gaza.
The successes of Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas, and Hezbollah fighters in destroying and severely damaging the Israeli military’s Merkava armored vehicles and tanks have been acknowledged by international defense observers.
The high rate of destruction and damage to Israeli military armored vehicles in northern Gaza aligns with reports of casualties and injuries among Israeli armor unit officers and soldiers, as reported by Israeli media.
Meanwhile, reports also indicate that the current conflict between Palestine and Israel has led to economic losses for Israel amounting to $48 billion (RM216 billion) for this year and the next.
Leader Capital Market reported that the Israeli government would bear two-thirds of the total war costs, with the remaining one-third covered by U.S. military aid.
The Israeli Ministry of Finance also stated that the ongoing conflict is costing the country $270 million (RM1.2 billion) daily to conduct the war.
This warfare means the Israeli government must borrow from external sources to finance its economy, which has been severely affected by the war. — DSA