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Investigations conducted by the Israeli military indicate that Hamas spent years gathering sensitive information on the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), using the intelligence to disable Merkava tanks and conduct raids on military bases.
The findings show that Hamas built an extensive database on IDF soldiers and equipment, focusing heavily on Merkava 4 tanks, long promoted as the backbone of Israel’s ground forces.
According to the IDF probe, a specialized Hamas intelligence unit monitored the social media accounts of about 100,000 Israeli soldiers.
Thousands of photos and videos shared online were collected and analyzed over several years to build detailed profiles of personnel and military platforms.
The investigation determined that Hamas identified the location of a secret shutdown switch on the Merkava tank and used this information to disable dozens of tanks.
Israel reportedly became aware of the full scale of Hamas’ intelligence activity only after discovering a tunnel complex in early 2024 known as "the Pentagon," where intelligence files, maps, reports, virtual reality simulators, and full-scale models of Israeli military vehicles were found.
Israeli media previously reported significant tank losses during the Gaza ground operations.
The newspaper Maariv wrote in July that Israel had lost nearly half of its Merkava tanks in the fighting, saying Palestinian fighters had “broken the Merkava myth.”
The report emphasized that the tank holds a central role in Israel’s military doctrine.
Hamas’ armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, said it had destroyed about half of the armored vehicles Israel deployed since Oct. 7, 2023.
Retired Intelligence Colonel and terrorism and security expert Coskun Basbug told Hurriyet that Hamas’ success against Merkava tanks was the result of systematic intelligence and engineering efforts, not coincidence.
He said Israel has suffered heavy losses in the ground offensive despite official claims of progress.
Basbug described the Merkava as an advanced, region-specific platform but said Israel’s effectiveness in using it had failed. He added that images released by Hamas showed Qassam fighters destroying tanks with ease.
Basbug said Israel’s claims of ground success in Gaza were inaccurate.
According to him, Israel accepted short-term ceasefires in the past to recover destroyed tanks and bodies of soldiers.
He argued that Israel’s strength lies in its air force, while its forces "sink into a quagmire" on the ground.
He added that Israel’s acceptance of ceasefires in some stages of the conflict occurred not for humanitarian reasons but to retrieve losses.
He said the longest ceasefire allowed Israel to remove damaged tanks and bodies before hostilities resumed.
Reports from the IDF’s investigations, shared through Israel Army Radio, said Hamas developed a dedicated anti-tank force modeled on Israeli armored training systems.
Inside the underground complex, Israeli forces reportedly found maps, intelligence reports, virtual reality training tools and full-scale replicas of military vehicles, all used by Hamas to practice operations against IDF armor.
Basbug said the Qassam Brigades include not only fighters but a significant number of intelligence personnel and engineers.
He claimed they had developed capabilities allowing them to penetrate systems such as Israel’s Iron Dome and that engineers were responsible for breakthroughs in understanding Israeli military technology.
According to Basbug, Israel is aware that Hamas has deciphered elements of the Merkava and Iron Dome systems but is unable to acknowledge this publicly.
He said these systems were Hamas’ primary threats and that intelligence efforts helped the group overcome them.
Basbug added that Israel fears public acknowledgment of these vulnerabilities and that Hamas' technical teams played a central role in reducing the effectiveness of Israeli systems during the war.
Basbug asserted that the Israeli military has “no success on the ground,” describing the IDF as lacking combat qualities.
He claimed Israeli soldiers suffer from trauma, with high suicide rates reported, and said families are voicing concerns about their children.
He argued that Israel’s inability to achieve decisive results in Gaza stems from being strong in the air but weak on land.
According to him, Israel has not been able to resolve the conflict on the ground despite two years of fighting in a narrow 40-kilometer strip.
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