#Gaza

A G3 patterned self-loading rifle with a collapsible stock has recently been observed through numerous online sources with Houthi fighters in Yemen and with an Al-Aqsa Brigade fighter in the Gaza strip. The rifle in question is a 7.62x51mm NATO G3-patterned rifle that has been modified to fire what would appear to be rifle grenades through a canister that appears to be a part of the trunnion and serves as a handguard as well. At this point the analysis is based upon the five available photographs that have surfaced and is thus rudimentary so far. Some have contended that the circular handguard is perhaps a craft-modified suppressor but we’ll present an argument that it most likely isn’t. We think it’s a rifle grenade launcher, but please, if any readers have some serious input on this, let us know.

This is Marawan Maklad’s third guest post for TFB. His first guest post is about the Istanbul Military Museum: Small Arms of the Ottoman Empire.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad al-Quds Brigades in Gaza has acquired a number of FN FN2000 rifles complete with grenade launchers. Given the relatively few potential sources of these rifles, the most obvious explination is that former Libyan rebels are exporting the weapons they captured during the civil war.