Direct proof of use
The AM-50 Sayyad is directly documented with Hamas and Gaza-based armed groups during the 2023 Israel-Hamas War. An Associated Press analysis of more than 150 videos and photos from the first three months of combat described Iranian sniper rifles among Hamas weapons and identified the AM-50 Sayyad as one of the distinctive weapons visible in Hamas's arsenal.
AP also reported that Hamas posted a December 20, 2023 video from Gaza purporting to show militants using machining equipment to make local copies of the AM-50 Sayyad. The same report noted expert skepticism that the rudimentary equipment shown could produce a safe and accurate .50-caliber rifle, so the video supports Hamas-side use and claimed local-copy activity rather than proving a complete manufacturing capability.
Sources: AP Hamas Weapons Analysis, CAR Iranian AM-50 Technical Report
Timeline
The clearest dated AM-50 milestone in public reporting is December 20, 2023, when Hamas posted the video that AP later described as showing domestic-copy activity involving the rifle. AP published its wider weapons analysis on January 15, 2024, after reviewing photos and videos from the first three months after the October 7 attack.
The public record used here does not establish a first firing, a specific unit inventory, or a verified count of AM-50 rifles in Gaza. It supports the rifle's presence and use in Hamas-side wartime imagery, while leaving the supply path and production claims unresolved.
Sources: AP Hamas Weapons Analysis
Narrative
Within the conflict, the AM-50 fills a heavy sniper and anti-materiel role for Hamas and Gaza-based armed groups. Conflict Armament Research identifies the AM-50 as an Iranian 12.7 x 99 mm anti-materiel rifle, while AP described it as an oversized Iranian-made sniper rifle firing a .50-caliber round.
The sourcing separates use from supply attribution. AP reported that the Israel Defense Forces and U.S. officials have long accused Iran of supplying weapons and support to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, but Iranian representatives did not respond to AP's questions about whether Iran supplied AM-50 rifles. The record therefore supports Hamas-side fielding of the AM-50 in the 2023 Israel-Hamas War, not a confirmed state-to-group delivery chain for the specific rifles shown.
Sources: AP Hamas Weapons Analysis, CAR Iranian AM-50 Technical Report
