Conflict catalog

May 2023 Israel-Gaza Conflict: Weapons and Equipment

May 2023 fighting between Israel and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza, including Israeli strikes and rocket fire from Gaza toward Israeli population centers.

The May 2023 Israel-Gaza Conflict was a short escalation between Israel and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza. OCHA reported Israeli bombardment across Gaza and rocket fire by Palestinian armed groups toward Israeli population centers before a ceasefire ended the five-day round of hostilities.

This catalog tracks weapon systems directly documented in the May 2023 Israel-Gaza escalation, also known in Israeli sources as Operation Shield and Arrow.

Entries should be limited to source-backed launches, strikes, interceptions, air-defense activity, or support activity tied to the May 9-13, 2023 fighting.

4 weapon systems

Conflict Actors

Israel / Palestinian armed groups in Gaza

Israel

4 weapon systems in this catalog

Palestinian armed groups in Gaza

0 weapon systems in this catalog
  • Palestinian armed groups in Gaza

Context

Status
Published catalog
Location
Gaza Strip and Israel
Countries
Israel, Palestinian territories
Regions
Gaza Strip, Central Israel, Southern Israel
Domains
air, missile strikes, rocket attacks, air defense

This catalog is narrow and should not be treated as a complete order of battle for Gaza or the wider Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Current connected coverage is focused on directly sourced air-defense use during the May 2023 escalation.

Map

Gaza Strip and Israel

Open map

Map data from OpenStreetMap contributors.

Timeline

Key Events

  1. Escalation begins

    The escalation began with Israeli strikes in Gaza and subsequent rocket fire by Palestinian armed groups toward Israel.

    Sources: OCHA Gaza-Israel Hostilities Flash Update 4

  2. Ceasefire takes effect

    OCHA's fourth flash update covered the late-hostilities period as a ceasefire was reached after five days of fighting.

    Sources: OCHA Gaza-Israel Hostilities Flash Update 4

Weapons

May 2023 Israel-Gaza Conflict Weapon Systems

Category

Aircraft & UAVs

Crewed aircraft, drones, and loitering munitions.

1/1
AH-64D Saraph attack helicopter, Attack helicopter, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsAH-64D Saraph attack helicopterAttack helicopterSide: IsraelRole: Border-area fire support during Operation Shield and ArrowBuilt: Boeing / United StatesThe AH-64D Saraph is the Israeli Air Force name for the Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopter, a twin-seat gunship built around a 30 mm cannon, Hellfire-class missiles, and long-range target sensors. Israeli and defense-industry sources document the Saraph in service from the 2006 Lebanon War through Gaza campaigns, while published photos also show Israeli aircraft carrying Spike NLOS missiles.

Category

Air Defense

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

3/3
David's Sling air-defense system, Air and missile defense system, Air DefenseAir DefenseDavid's Sling air-defense systemAir and missile defense systemSide: IsraelRole: Medium-range air and missile defenseBuilt: Rafael Advanced Defense Systems / Raytheon / Israel and United StatesDavid's Sling is Israel's mid-tier air and missile defense layer, co-developed by Rafael and Raytheon around the Stunner/SkyCeptor hit-to-kill interceptor. Operational since 2017, it sits between Iron Dome and Arrow in Israel's layered network and has documented wartime use against rockets from Gaza and Lebanon, surface-to-air missiles over Lebanon, and Iranian missile attacks.
Stunner interceptor, Missile interceptor, Air DefenseAir DefenseStunner interceptorMissile interceptorSide: IsraelRole: Medium-range air and missile defense interceptorBuilt: Rafael Advanced Defense Systems / Raytheon / Israel, United StatesThe Stunner interceptor is the two-stage hit-to-kill missile fired by David's Sling, Israel's mid-tier air and missile-defense layer co-developed by Rafael and Raytheon. CSIS describes the missile as using radar datalink updates and onboard terminal seekers, while RTX markets SkyCeptor as a Stunner-family variant for short- to medium-range missile-defense threats. Source-backed operational use is documented in Gaza-related interceptions and the post-October 2023 Israel-Hezbollah fighting.
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.

Conflict Sources

This conflict record is scoped to the May 9-13, 2023 escalation. Weapon entries need direct system-specific sources before adding conflict usage.

  • OCHA Gaza-Israel Hostilities Flash Update 4Publisher: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs | Note: Supports May 2023 Gaza-Israel hostilities context, including Israeli bombardment and Palestinian rocket fire toward Israeli population centers. | Accessed: 2026-07-01