2023 Israel-Hamas War

DShK in the 2023 Israel-Hamas War

CNN analysis identified a Soviet-built DShK heavy machine gun modified and mounted on a pickup among Hamas weapons used during the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

Weapon profileDShK
SideHamas and Gaza-based armed groupsRoleFrontline AssaultFire SupportInsurgent / Guerrilla Use
DShK, 12.7 mm heavy machine gun, Infantry Weapons - 2023 Israel-Hamas War
Image source: A soldier with the Ukrainian Land Forces fires a Degtyaryov-Shpagin Large-Caliber heavy machine gun

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
Hamas used a Soviet-built DShK modified and mounted on a pickup during the October 7 attack.

Sources: CNN Hamas Arsenal Analysis, KTVZ CNN Spanish Syndication

The wider assault included armed vehicles and vehicle-mounted machine guns in southern Israel, including Sderot.

Sources: AP October 7 Attack Report, HRW October 7 Assault Report

Public sourcing does not establish a precise count, origin chain, or later Gaza use pattern for DShKs in this conflict.

Sources: CNN Hamas Arsenal Analysis

Timeline

DShK In 2023 Israel-Hamas War

  1. Hamas-led attack begins

    Hamas and other Gaza-based armed groups launched the opening attack of the war into southern Israel; AP reported fighters infiltrating by land, air, and sea, and HRW later documented verified Sderot imagery showing armed fighters in trucks with roof-mounted machine guns.

    Sources: AP October 7 Attack Report, HRW October 7 Assault Report

  2. CNN identifies a pickup-mounted DShK

    CNN reported that its review of assault imagery showed a Soviet-built DShK modified and mounted on a pickup truck.

    Sources: CNN Hamas Arsenal Analysis, KTVZ CNN Spanish Syndication

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

The DShK's documented appearance in the 2023 Israel-Hamas War comes from CNN's October 13, 2023 weapons analysis of imagery from the Hamas-led assault on Israel. CNN reported that its review of photos and videos showed a Soviet-built DShK, described as a .50-caliber machine gun, modified and rigged to a pickup.

That evidence supports a narrow conflict-use claim: Hamas used at least one pickup-mounted DShK during the opening October 7 attack. It does not by itself establish the number of DShKs in use, their origin, or a later pattern of DShK employment inside Gaza.

Sources: CNN Hamas Arsenal Analysis, KTVZ CNN Spanish Syndication

Timeline

On October 7, 2023, Hamas and other Gaza-based armed groups attacked southern Israel by land, sea, and air after rocket fire from Gaza. Associated Press reporting from the day described the assault as a multi-front attack with fighters crossing the border, while Human Rights Watch later documented verified imagery from Sderot showing armed fighters in trucks with roof-mounted machine guns.

On October 13, CNN published its weapons analysis of the assault imagery. The DShK identification appears in that post-attack analysis rather than in a separate official seizure notice or manufacturer-origin record.

Sources: AP October 7 Attack Report, HRW October 7 Assault Report, CNN Hamas Arsenal Analysis

Narrative

In the October 7 assault context, the DShK was reported as a vehicle-mounted heavy machine gun rather than as a fixed air-defense gun. CNN's analysis framed the weapon among Hamas's improvised arsenal of older, altered, or second-hand weapons used in the surprise attack.

The pickup mount is consistent with the broader pattern of armed vehicles reported in the assault, but the DShK-specific identification rests on CNN's review of the imagery. The available public sourcing supports Hamas and Gaza-based armed groups as the side, with the role best described as mobile heavy machine-gun fire support during the opening cross-border attack.

Sources: CNN Hamas Arsenal Analysis, HRW October 7 Assault Report

Related Weapons by Role

DShKM heavy machine gun, 12.7 mm heavy machine gun, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsDShKM heavy machine gun12.7 mm heavy machine gunThe DShKM is the Soviet postwar Model 38/46 modernization of the DShK 12.7 mm heavy machine gun, retaining the DShK family's anti-aircraft, infantry-support, and vehicle-mount roles while replacing the earlier feed system. Sources document the DShK-1938/46 in Vietnam War anti-aircraft use, DShK-M capture and employment in the Soviet-Afghan War, DShK-M use by Ukrainian defenders, and DShK/DShKM variants in Islamic State's Iraq-and-Syria arsenal.
W85 heavy machine gun, 12.7 mm heavy machine gun, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsW85 heavy machine gun12.7 mm heavy machine gunThe W85 is a Chinese 12.7x108 mm heavy machine gun associated with Norinco export channels and the QJC-88 vehicle-mounted variant. It is lighter than many older DShK-pattern heavy machine guns and can be used from tripod, pintle, vehicle, or improvised pickup mounts. Conflict reporting documents W85-family guns with ISWAP-linked forces in Nigeria, Ukrainian mobile anti-drone teams, YPG/SDF improvised armor in Syria, Iraqi PMU militias, and Wagner-linked imagery from Mali, while sources caution that export paths and quantities are often unclear.
RPK/RPK-74, Squad automatic weapon / light machine gun, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsRPK/RPK-74Squad automatic weapon / light machine gunThe RPK and RPK-74 are Kalashnikov-pattern squad automatic weapons that extend the AK family with a longer, heavier barrel, bipod, and higher-capacity magazines for infantry fire support. The 7.62 x 39 mm RPK paralleled the AKM, while the 5.45 x 39 mm RPK-74 followed the AK-74; Conflict Armament Research later documented both RPK and RPK-74 examples in Ukraine, and Amnesty International listed both types among Islamic State machine guns in Iraq and Syria.
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Sources