Islamic Jihad flaunts rocket arsenal at 36th anniversary parade in Gaza

Palestinian gunmen marched Wednesday through Gaza City, brandishing weapons and carrying rockets and drones, in a parade marking the 36th anniversary of the establishment of the Islamic Jihad movement.

Islamic Jihad forces in the blockaded Gaza Strip have been involved in recent years in several bloody confrontations with Israel, most recently in May when five days of cross-border fighting killed 34 Palestinians – including six commanders of the terror group – and one Israeli.

An Islamic Jihad official told AFP that around 4,500 members of Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian terror group, took part in Wednesday’s parade.

The event showcased domestically produced rockets atop trucks draped in green camouflage fabric, missiles and three types of drones.

“The new Buraq missiles have a range of 85 kilometers (50 miles), and the improved Badr 3 missiles have an explosive warhead weighing 400 kilos (880 pounds),” an Al-Quds Brigades spokesman said.

“One of the missiles that were displayed is locally made and has not yet been used against the enemy (Israel),” the spokesman added without elaborating.

The drones, he said, can be used to strike targets “deep” within Israel.

Gaza has been under a crippling Israeli-led blockade since Islamist movement Hamas took over the narrow coastal enclave in 2007.

Israel says the tight restrictions on goods and people are necessary due to the terror group’s efforts to massively arm itself for attacks against the Jewish state.