Hamas distributes handy guide to destroying Israeli tanks VIDEO

Hamas terrorists think they know how to knock out the Israeli army’s main tank, the 70-ton Merkava Mark IV.

Aim for the rear hatch and ammunition stowage, the space between the turret and hull, the tank’s belly or a supposed weak spot in the armour on the side of the hull near the front. Use rockets and roadside improvised explosive devices, Forbes reports.

These are the tips Hamas reportedly communicated to its fighters, via a paper flyer, in preparation for the terror group’s infiltration of southern Israel on Oct. 7—an attack that left at least 1,400 Israelis and foreigners dead. The terrorists abducted hundreds more people in settlements near the Israeli wall surrounding Gaza.

The Israelis retrieved at least one of the flyers, apparently from a dead Hamas fighter, and posted photos on social media.

The flyer’s contents should come as no surprise to experienced soldiers. The ammo storage, turret ring and belly are weak spots on virtually all tanks.

Merkava Mk.IV being hit by an Iranian PG-7T tandem warhead RPG, for some reason the APS (active protection system) didn’t counter the RPG. pic.twitter.com/hknSC3rOpL

— AFV Recognition (@AFVRec_) October 7, 2023

What’s more surprising is Hamas’ tips for defeating the Trophy active protective systems that are new features on some of the Israeli army’s roughly 400 front-line Merkava Mark IVs. The trophy is a combination of tiny radars and fast-firing grenade launchers that automatically detect incoming missiles and rockets—and intercept them.

Hamas assumes that firing a rocket-propelled grenade from 50 yards or closer should thwart the Trophy, presumably by giving it too little time to react. Alternatively, an SPG-9 recoilless gun should defeat a Trophy-equipped tank, simply by virtue of its projectile’s high speed.

Hamas's anti-tank flyer.Via social media

There is some evidence of Hamas militants damaging a Merkava with a PG-7T rocket on Oct. 7. It’s not clear how close the RPG team was when it opened fire. It’s possible the terrorists dutifully followed the flyer’s advice; it’s also possible they defeated the tank’s Trophy by firing several rounds in quick succession—and overwhelming the device.

In any event, it wasn’t RPG teams who claimed the most Merkavas on Oct. 7. Hamas’ small drones struck at least two of the heavily armed, thickly-armoured tanks. One aimed its payload at the thin armour protecting the tank’s engine in its forward hull. Another hit a Merkava on the turret bustle, which holds spare 120-millimeter cannon rounds for the four-person crew.

And the militants also captured a Merkava—along with more than a dozen super heavy armoured personnel carriers—at an Israeli army base in Nakhal Oz. You don’t need help from a flyer when a tank is crewless and idle.