Palestinian Terrorists Pour Tens of Millions into a New Arms Stockpile

The list obtained by debkafile‘s exclusive military and intelligence sources, contains –
1. 3,000 automatic rifles. The new supply, most of which is destined for Hamas, gives the organization a total of 10,000 Kalashnikovs, enough for thousands of new recruits.
2. Hundreds of AT-23 Sagger anti-tank missiles.
3. SAM-14 Strela anti-air missiles – quantity unknown.
4. Improved Qassam surface missiles. Their range is 13km or 18km, depending on whether Israeli or Egyptian intelligence evaluations are accepted. The shorter-range can reach Ashkelon, the longer one can menace the southern suburbs of the Ashdod port town, Ashkelon, Kiryat Gath, Kiryat Malachi (where the Israeli President’s private home is located), Ofakim, Netivot and prime minister Ariel Sharon’s Sycamore Ranch.
5. Land mines of different types – quantity unknown.
6. More than 250 tons of explosives.
In addition, an estimated 500-700 armed and highly-trained men have infiltrated Gaza through Sinai to boost the ranks of the Hamas and Jihad Islami. They are believed to include Palestinian terrorists from Lebanon, as well as al Qaeda operatives and fugitives who have been on the run from Egyptian security since the Taba and Sharm al Sheikh bombing attacks. Israel’s AMAN suspects that Iranian Revolutionary Guards spies may have been smuggled in with the traffic, their assignment being to establish an Iranian terrorist infrastructure like the one Tehran has set up in Iraq.
Hamas, Jihad Islami and other terrorist groups have emptied out their Sinai arms dumps in the Gaza Strip – an Israeli officer estimated that the tons of explosives, rockets, RPGs and missiles would have kept three large Sinai-Rafah arms tunnels busy around the clock for a year. But on top of that supply, Hamas, Jihad Islami and other Palestinian groups have been on a shopping spree.
Their funding sources are not known for certain, but debkafile‘s sources can reveal how and where they are getting their lethal merchandise. Iranian and Hizballah agents – as well as al Qaeda buyers – are using their contacts with local gangs of arms traffickers in Serbia, Slovakia, Montenegro, Croatia and Kosovo, to fill Palestinian stores with new weaponry. The arms are shipped out of ports in Montenegro and Croatia to Yemen and Sudan, thence to Sinai and into the Gaza Strip, unchecked by Egyptians or Palestinian security.
Hamas is already making good use of the huge mountain of weapons rolling in through the uncontrolled Rafah border for its next tactical moves.
A. It has begun stringing out a line of military positions along Gaza’s borders with Egypt and Israel, similar to the Hizballah bases along Lebanon’s border with Israel. Hamas operatives have taken over some former IDF positions in the Rafah sector and the former Israeli coastal location of Rafiah Yam.
B. Hamas units have taken up position at the former Morag, Dugit and Elei Sinai and appear to be erecting military installations.
C. The first hole Hamas blew in one of the two Gaza-Egyptian border walls was just the beginning. Since Friday, Sept 16, their bomb squads are taking the walls down section by section, working round the clock. They plant explosive charges and detonate the by remote control. The Palestinian Authority’s security personnel and Egyptian border police are turning a blind eye.
Wednesday, Sept. 14, the Egyptians came up with the pretext that not all their troops had been deployed. Two days later, they had another excuse: The resident Egyptian military deputation headed by General Mustafa Bakri has sent orders to Palestinian commanders to put a stop to rampage, but the men further down the line ignore them.
All Mahmoud Abbas could say, Saturday, Sept 17 was that more time was needed to seal the Gaza-Egyptian border – “maybe two or three months…”
Abu Mazen’s comment was a verbal shrug – all he could say short of admitting that his men at the border crossing have been supplanted by Hamas.
Since Israel’s pull-out last Monday, Hamas has held one triumphal parade after after another. Crowds of up to 50-70,000 orderly spectators watched heavily armed terrorists strutting up and down as their leaders on the platforms wowed not to rest until the Jewish state was no more.
In dismal contrast, the Palestinian Authority tried to stage a “national” celebration last Monday, Sept. 12. The only people who attended were armed, masked members of the Palestinian terrorist groups in revolt against the Palestinian Authority. Abu Mazen’s convoy set out for Gaza from Ramallah, but turned back after he was warned his life would be on the line.
In New York, prime minister Ariel Sharon announced that Israel will withhold its assistance from the Palestinian election next January if Hamas runs without laying down arms. It is far from clear that Israel can make good on this threat. In any case, what arms should Hamas lay down? The old ones? or the new supply?
A well-informed European security source told debkafile that the Palestinians are snapping up the huge surpluses of weapons, ammo, missiles, and explosives from the wars in Bosnia, Serbia and Kosovo. This is going on amid Sharon’s pledges never to compromise at the expense of national security and invites a hard question: has the political-security conception on which he based his disengagement policy collapsed less than a week after the last Israeli soldier left the Gaza Strip?
Israel’s defense minister, his deputy, the Shin Beit director and the OC southern command, who were so visible in the course of the pull-out, have all been strangely silent in its menacing aftermath.