How did Hamas get the Chinese sniper rifle M99?

On the 85th day of the war on Gaza, the Hamas movement said that it Chinese Zhejiang M99 sniper rifleknown militarily as the M99, has killed an Israeli soldier.

A few days after the incident, the Israeli army confirmed that the Israeli soldier killed in Gaza was killed by a Hamas sniper in clashes during ground operations.

State-of-the-art weapons

The confirmation of the death of an Israeli soldier by a sniper shows that agitation The movement is using this gun during the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. In the videos released by him, M99 sniper in the hands of militants Rifle Seen at least three times.

The Zhejiang M99 is a semi-automatic Chinese anti-materiel rifle first introduced in 2005. It has since been seen in use by the People’s Liberation Army Navy and Marine Corps in anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden. It was also held by various rebel groups in the Syrian civil war.

This rifle is the latest weapon that Hamas announced to use in the war. However, the M99 has been unofficially seen in the hands of its fighters in military training and parades over the past five years.

Features of the gun

The M99 is a Chinese-made sniper rifle, which entered service in 2005, and was first used by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy. It is an anti-material rifle with heavy caliber bullets. (12.7 x 108) mm).

This rifle is known for its ability to penetrate armored vehicles and solid material. It weighs 12 kg and is about 1.5 meters long. It is also equipped with adjustable mounts and the firearm’s semi-automatic magazine holds five rounds.

Importance

Its bullet has a range of about 1500 meters while the firing speed reaches up to 800 meters per second, twice the speed of sound. Mehdi Hasnain, an expert on military affairs, says, “This weapon is very important for a sniper because it has the ability to surprise the target without giving him a chance to react.”

Mehdi Hasnain added, ‘The bullet hits the target within two seconds at most, that is, even before the sound of its fire reaches it. This means the shooter has enough time to reposition himself before the target reacts.’

He says that this rifle Gaza The snipers’ arsenal is a strong addition and helps the organization’s fighters more easily target Israeli army infantry, which should be a cause for concern in Tel Aviv.’

According to Mahdi, the M99 rifle is equivalent to the performance of an infantry battalion in terms of quality of targets. A single sniper usually performs larger tasks than a group of combatants engaged in direct firefights. The only reason is that its location is unknown and it can hit the target with great accuracy.’

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Chinese weapons

After Hamas revealed the weapon, the Israeli broadcasting corporation Kan published a report saying that the Israeli military had unexpectedly discovered record levels of chemical weapons used by Hamas fighters in Gaza. Succeeded in confiscating the weapons.

According to Kan, security agencies in Tel Aviv officially informed the political establishment in Israel that Hamas was using standard Chinese weapons in the fight. This broadcasting organization also said that questions are also emerging in the security chambers that how did the weapons from China reach the Gaza Strip? And did these weapons come directly from China to Hamas?

Kahn pointed out that the discovery of the M99 sniper rifle has dealt a blow to Israeli military intelligence, especially since initial investigations confirmed that the weapon had been modified by Hamas fighters. This makes it more accurate and long-range.

Chinese response

There was an immediate response from China when a Chinese Arabic account on the social networking site X posted a photo of a Hamas fighter holding a Chinese rifle and wrote, “A heavy caliber Chinese M99 rifle from Al-Qassam Brigades in Gaza.” appeared near a sniper.’

According to a post published by this Arabic account, the rifle has been used by Palestinian factions against Israeli forces conducting ground operations inside the Gaza Strip for about a month and a half, which would indicate its arrival here. is He said that it might have been exported there via Iran.

Another weapon

“I don’t believe that Chinese weapons would have been bought directly from China and reached the Palestinian militants,” said Keris Witt, a researcher of Israeli affairs. I believe that Beijing does not sell weapons to NGOs, but it certainly sells weapons to countries in the Middle East.’

The Chinese M99 rifle is not the only sniper weapon in the hands of Hamas fighters. Since 2014, the movement has had an indigenously developed sniper rifle, which it calls ‘Al-Ghool’, with a caliber of 14.5 mm and a lethal range of up to two thousand meters.

As for the Hamas movement, its leader Hamad al-Raqab says, “We have the right to have any type of weapon.” We exercise a legitimate right in international law, which is the right to self-defense, and we don’t need to answer questions about how we got these weapons.’

Note: This article was previously published on Independent Arabia.