IDF refits tanks ahead of likely Gaza ground operation

“The Hamas [drone] attacks gave Israel the impetus to install the cages more widely,” says military expert.

By World Israel News Staff

Tanks amassed along the Israel-Gaza border are being fitted with anti-drone cages, meant to prevent damage from attacks by UAVs, according to a Washington Post report.

During the incursion on Oct. 7th, Hamas terrorists used commercial drones to drop bombs on the border post and Israeli military assets.

These drones, which are not considered military equipment with limitations or security checks for purchases, are relatively easy to obtain and modify.

The IDF appears to have learned from that vulnerability and is aiming to safeguard soldiers inside the tanks from similar attacks.

“My assumption is that the Hamas attacks gave Israel the impetus to install the cages more widely,” Mark Cancian, a senior adviser with the Center for Strategic and International Studies told the Washington Post.

“It was probably something they had been thinking about before since everyone is watching the war in Ukraine closely.”

“An interesting question is whether these structures will become standard for armored vehicles in conflict,” Cancian added.

“The United States has not equipped its tanks with cages, but this may be a lesson armies need to learn the hard way.”

The Israeli army appears to be gearing up for a widescale ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, with Foreign Minister Eli Cohen stating that the size of the territory will shrink following the operation.

However, it’s unclear when exactly the Israeli army will send in troops on the ground, despite calling up hundreds of thousands of reservists and stationing them near the enclave.

During a eulogy for a friend who was killed in a gun battle with Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7th, Benny Gantz warned that the ongoing Swords of Iron War may take months.

Gantz said that Israel would not end the military operation until the IDF secures a decisive victory over Hamas.