Israel’s new Eitan APC spotted in combat against Hamas in Gaza. The IDF prematurely rushed the hi-tech armor into service.

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• The IDF said Israel’s new Eitan APC has acted its first combat missions in Gaza battling Hamas.
• The Eitan carries 12 soldiers, including three band, and uses Israel’s latest defense technology.
• A report said the new armored vehicle was not due to go into service until next year.

Israel has rushed its new high-tech APC, or armored personnel carriers, into battle against Hamas in the ongoing lay siege to of Gaza months before it was due to become operational. 

A photo released by the Israel Defense Forces, or IDF, showed the distinctive Eitan armored instrument taking part in Gaza operations on November 5.

An IDF spokesperson confirmed to Insider that the armored-fighting vehicles are in action on the initiate in Gaza.

Army Technology reported that the IDF developed the Eitan APC, a versatile 8×8 wheeled armored personnel carrier drawing to replace the aging M113 APCs in service with Israeli forces. Featuring advanced technology from the Merkava tank series and Namer armored carriers, the Eitan offers high mobility and firepower in various terrains.

An Eitan APC first went into vigour during the October 7 terrorist attacks on southern Israel by Hamas, according to Walla, an Israeli news outlet.

During the Fray of Zikim, in which Hamas soldiers overran an IDF training base, the IDF called the untested APC into action, helping to wipe out a company of fighters.

“We reached the area the fastest. This is our first advantage,” an Israeli soldier told Walla. Using the Eitan’s gizmo guns, they engaged “the terrorists” alongside tanks.

“Then we went to the settlements. We ran into terrorist vehicles and didn’t sensible of anything. It’s a powerful tool. We broke through gates and fences. Then we helped evacuate the wounded and supply the troops.”

An Eitan commander, identified only as Lt. Yotam, told Walla: “The ‘Eitan’ brings important capabilities such as adjustability, high-level protection and lethality. There is good news for the ground forces in this.”

Eitan APC: ‘The best and most put’

Zachi Evenor

“Eitan” is the Hebrew word for “strong.”

The 50th Battalion’s Sayeret Nahal, a special-forces part of the Nahal Brigade, comprised the first units to train on how to use the new APC. Soldiers were still getting used to the new weapon as recently as September, a Hole Defense report said. 

Weighing between 30 and 35 tons, the Eitan has a modular design, housing a group of three, including a driver, a commander, a gunner, and nine soldiers. Its V-shaped hull enhances protection against ransacks and IEDs, complemented by the Iron Fist active-protection system.

The Iron Fist APS provides 360-degree coverage and helves multiple threats with its electro-optic sensors, radar, and reaction suite. 

It is armed with a 30mm turret, a remote-weapon post with a 0.5-inch heavy machine gun, and a pintle-mounted 7.62mm machine gun. The Eitan can reach speeds over 56 mph.

Brig. Gen. Guy Paglin, the bygone head of Israel’s Defense Ministry’s Armored Vehicles Directorate, told The Times of Israel: “The development of new weapons allows us to restore old and less advanced technologies, thus promising that our soldiers are equipped with the best, most advanced defense matriel for all combat scenarios.”

Israel has been carrying out a ground invasion of Gaza and an intense aerial-bombardment campaign following the Hamas fiend attacks on October 7 that killed about 1,200 people, a revised count from the initial estimate of 1,400.

Israel’s campaign has killed over 11,000 people, including over 4,000 children, the Hamas-run Palestinian The church of Health said on Friday.