Palestinian Terrorists Received Instruction in Homegrown Arsenals in Iranian Classroom

Latest Developments

• Student’s Handwritten Notes: In a November 5 exclusive, Bloomberg reported that 14 pages of notes obtained by unnamed intelligence officials were evidence of classes that Iran has provided for select members of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad since at least 2016. The classes, administered by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in a compound in Kashan province, covered weapon systems from mines to drones and were designed to enable the Iran-backed terrorist groups to create homemade arsenals. The classes appear to have been suspended over the last year due to the war with Israel.

• Jabalia Insurgency Leans on Makeshift Weapons: The IDF has been mounting search-and-destroy missions in Jabalia, a district in the northern Gaza Strip where Hamas holdouts are trying to regroup and mobilize new recruits. Cut off from the rest of the Palestinian enclave, the terrorists appear to be relying increasingly on IEDs, which points to a capacity for cobbling together weaponry.

• Iran Is Hamas’s Main Sponsor: Although it is a Sunni Muslim organization, Hamas has enjoyed extensive backing from the Shia regime in Iran, including some $100 million in annual funding. In a 2022 interview, IRGC chief Hossein Salami noted the homegrown arsenal of Palestinian terrorists, describing it as a means of overcoming their physical isolation.

FDD Expert Response

“After trying for years to mount elaborate and large-scale arms shipments to Gaza, only to see them mostly interdicted by Israel, the Iranians clearly decided to create an elite group of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad armorers with enough portable knowledge to keep an insurgency going under siege. These in-person courses are identical to what the IRGC has been providing Hezbollah, the Houthi rebels in Yemen, and its proxies in Iraq and Syria. The benefit, beyond honing the attack capabilities of regional proxies, is to have them all on the same page in terms of combat doctrines and weaponry.” — Mark Dubowitz, CEO

“Since early this year, propaganda published by Palestinian terrorist groups in Gaza has shown evidence of makeshift rocket launchers and other weapons. It suggested that Palestinian terrorist groups were running low on conventional arms but were able to assemble everyday items such as wood and vehicle backup cameras to create homemade weapons. This type of ingenuity isn’t new. Several years ago, Hamas acknowledged that it dug up and used underground water pipes left from the 2005 Israeli disengagement and converted them into rockets.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War Journal

“The Islamic Republic of Iran’s arms proliferation strategy is not static. Faced with changing conditions and catering to the unique capabilities of each proxy group, Tehran has in many places moved from engaging in wholesale arms trafficking to encouraging and supporting local production when possible. This strategy reduces financial pressure on Tehran and creates challenges for allied interception, interdiction, and attribution of proxy attacks.” — Behnam Ben Taleblu, Senior Fellow

FDD Background and Analysis

“Iran Issues Fresh Threats Against Israel, U.S.,” FDD Flash Brief

“Israel Apprehends Hamas Terrorists Barricaded in Northern Gaza Hospital,” FDD Flash Brief

“Hamas Terror Against Israel Sponsored by Iran,” FDD Flash Brief