Conflict catalog

2021 Israel-Palestine Crisis: Weapons and Equipment

May 2021 fighting between Israel and Gaza-based armed groups, including rocket fire, Israeli airstrikes, UAV activity, and a ceasefire after eleven days.

The 2021 Israel-Palestine Crisis was an eleven-day escalation centered on Gaza, Israel, Jerusalem, and the West Bank. Gaza-based armed groups fired rockets and attempted UAV attacks while Israel conducted airstrikes and other military operations before a ceasefire took effect on May 21, 2021.

This catalog tracks weapon systems directly documented in the May 2021 Israel-Gaza escalation.

Entries should be limited to source-backed use, interception, launches, strikes, or support activity tied to the May 2021 fighting.

7 weapon systems

Conflict Actors

Israel / Hamas and Palestinian armed groups

Israel

4 weapon systems in this catalog

Context

Status
Published catalog
Location
Gaza Strip, Israel, Jerusalem, and the West Bank
Countries
Israel, Palestinian territories
Regions
Gaza Strip, Israel, Jerusalem, West Bank
Domains
land, air, missile strikes, UAV, air defense, urban warfare

The catalog is narrow and should not be treated as a complete order of battle. Current connected weapon coverage is focused on Hamas Shehab one-way attack UAV activity and Israeli interception claims; additional rockets, air-defense systems, aircraft, and ground weapons should be added only with direct system-specific sourcing.

Map

Gaza Strip, Israel, Jerusalem, and the West Bank

Open map

Map data from OpenStreetMap contributors.

Timeline

Key Events

  1. Escalation opens

    OCHA reported escalation across Gaza, Israel, Jerusalem, and the West Bank as hostilities widened during May 2021.

    Sources: OCHA Escalation Flash Update 3

  2. Ceasefire takes effect

    OCHA reported that a ceasefire entered into force at 2 a.m. on May 21, 2021, after eleven days of hostilities.

    Sources: OCHA Escalation Flash Update 11

Weapons

2021 Israel-Palestine Crisis Weapon Systems

Category

Aircraft & UAVs

Crewed aircraft, drones, and loitering munitions.

1/1
Shehab-2, One-way attack unmanned aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsShehab-2One-way attack unmanned aircraftSide: Hamas and Palestinian armed groupsRole: One-way attack UAV launchesBuilt: Hamas / Al-Qassam Brigades / Gaza Strip, Palestinian territoriesThe Shehab-2 is a Hamas one-way attack UAV described as a Gaza-built loitering munition related to the Iranian Ababil family. Shehab drones were publicized and reportedly launched during the May 2021 Gaza escalation, while later Shehab-2 references in the 2023 2023 Israel-Hamas War remain caveated because analysts noted possible launches without confirmed evidence.

Category

Air Defense

Systems that contest aircraft, missiles, helicopters, and drones.

2/2
Iron Dome air-defense system, Mobile short-range air-defense system, Air DefenseAir DefenseIron Dome air-defense systemMobile short-range air-defense systemSide: IsraelRole: Short-range rocket air defenseBuilt: Rafael Advanced Defense Systems / Israel Aerospace Industries / IsraelIron Dome is an Israeli mobile short-range air-defense system built by Rafael and Israel Aerospace Industries to detect, track, and intercept rockets, artillery threats, and some UAVs before they hit populated areas. Known in Hebrew as Kippat Barzel, it became operational in 2011 and has documented combat use from the 2012 Gaza-Israel Conflict through later Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran-related fighting, including the April 2024 Iran-Israel exchange.
Tamir interceptor, Short-range surface-to-air interceptor missile, Air DefenseAir DefenseTamir interceptorShort-range surface-to-air interceptor missileSide: IsraelRole: Short-range rocket air defenseBuilt: Rafael Advanced Defense Systems / Raytheon / Israel / United StatesThe Tamir interceptor is the missile fired by Iron Dome batteries to defeat short-range rockets, UAVs, and similar threats. Open sources describe it as a compact, command-guided, active-radar interceptor with a blast-fragmentation warhead; CSIS ties Tamir expenditure to the 2021 Israel-Palestine Crisis, and Raytheon markets the U.S.-producible SkyHunter version with Rafael.

Category

Artillery

Tube artillery, rocket artillery, and long-range ground fires.

3/3
M150 155 mm hexachloroethane smoke projectile, 155 mm HC smoke projectile, ArtilleryArtilleryM150 155 mm hexachloroethane smoke projectile155 mm HC smoke projectileSide: IsraelRole: Smoke artillery fire in GazaBuilt: Elbit Systems / IsraelThe M150 is an Israeli 155 mm hexachloroethane smoke projectile from Elbit Systems, built for screening, obscuration, and spotting without white phosphorus. Elbit's product sheet lists five HC smoke canisters, about three minutes of effect, and a NATO NSN, while ARES traces the design to the M483A1 carrier projectile and compares it with M825-series white-phosphorus smoke rounds. Open-source investigations identify M150 rounds in Gaza during the May 2021 escalation and the 2023 Israel-Hamas War.
Badr-3 heavy rocket, Large-calibre artillery rocket, ArtilleryArtilleryBadr-3 heavy rocketLarge-calibre artillery rocketSide: Hamas and Palestinian armed groupsRole: Heavy rocket attacks on Israeli citiesBuilt: IRGC Quds Force Unit 340 / Palestinian Islamic Jihad (al-Quds Brigades) / Iran / Gaza StripThe Badr-3 heavy rocket is a large-calibre unguided artillery rocket tied to Iranian design support and Palestinian Islamic Jihad's Gaza production network. PIJ unveiled the rocket in 2019, used it during the May 2021 Israel-Palestine Crisis, and Israeli forces later reported captured Badr-3 parts at a PIJ weapons-production post in northern Gaza in November 2023.
Ayyash-250 long-range rocket, Long-range unguided rocket, ArtilleryArtilleryAyyash-250 long-range rocketLong-range unguided rocketSide: Hamas and Palestinian armed groupsRole: Long-range rocket strike against southern IsraelBuilt: Al-Qassam Brigades / Gaza Strip / Palestinian territoriesThe Ayyash-250 is a Gaza-produced, 250-kilometer-class unguided rocket publicly associated with Hamas and the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. It was unveiled in May 2021 with a claimed launch toward Ramon airport near Eilat, then reappeared in 2023 claims against northern Israel and Eilat, making it one of Hamas's longest-range publicly identified rockets despite limited public technical verification.

Category

Munitions

Standalone missiles, bombs, rockets, torpedoes, and guided or unguided explosive payloads.

1/1
Python-5 air-to-air missile, Fifth-generation dual-use air-to-air and air-defense missile, MunitionsMunitionsPython-5 air-to-air missileFifth-generation dual-use air-to-air and air-defense missileSide: IsraelRole: UnknownBuilt: Rafael Advanced Defense Systems / IsraelPython-5 is Rafael's fifth-generation dual-use air-to-air and air-defense missile, built around a dual-waveband imaging infrared seeker, lock-on-before-launch and lock-on-after-launch modes, and a full-sphere launch envelope. Public sources document Israeli F-16 use against Hezbollah UAVs in 2006 and Gaza-launched drones in 2021, while SPYDER batteries use Python-5 as the infrared-imaging interceptor alongside Derby-family radar-guided missiles.

Conflict Sources

This conflict record is scoped narrowly to May 2021 weapon-entry needs. It should not be used as a holding bucket for broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict history without direct source-backed system use in the May 2021 escalation.

  • OCHA Escalation Flash Update 3Publisher: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs | Note: Supports the May 2021 escalation context across Gaza, Israel, Jerusalem, and the West Bank. | Accessed: 2026-06-29
  • OCHA Escalation Flash Update 11Publisher: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs | Note: Supports the May 21, 2021 ceasefire timing and the eleven-day conflict framing. | Accessed: 2026-06-29