Direct proof of use
Kornet-family anti-tank guided missiles are documented in the 2023 Israel-Hamas War through Israeli defense research, battlefield reporting, and claims tied to Hamas combat footage. INSS reported in December 2023 that anti-tank missiles fired by Hamas in southern combat sectors were a prominent threat to Israeli maneuver forces and identified the Kornet or upgraded Kornet missiles as the main anti-tank weapon used by militants in the south.
During the opening of Israel's ground operation in Gaza, The Times of Israel reported that Hamas said it used anti-tank Kornet rockets and mortar fire against Israeli forces during the October 28, 2023 incursion into northern Gaza. The report attributed the specific engagement claim to Hamas and noted that the group did not provide evidence.
Sources: INSS Anti-Tank Missile Threat, Times of Israel Gaza Ground Incursion
Timeline
On October 28, 2023, as Israeli ground forces pushed into northern Gaza, Hamas claimed that Kornet rockets were among the weapons used to repel the incursion. The claim fits the wider anti-tank missile threat that INSS described in early December, after roughly two months of fighting.
On November 2, 2023, Army Recognition reported a video-based claim that the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades used a Kornet missile in a night attack east of Shejaiya against an Israeli Panther armored personnel carrier. That item supports a reported vehicle-engagement claim, but its evidentiary chain runs through a video shared on Russian social media rather than an official battlefield recovery record.
Sources: Times of Israel Gaza Ground Incursion, INSS Anti-Tank Missile Threat, Army Recognition Panther APC Claim
Narrative
The documented role of the Kornet in this conflict is a standoff anti-armor and anti-position weapon for Hamas and other Gaza-based armed groups. INSS described anti-tank missiles as a challenge not only to tanks and armored vehicles but also to military installations, mobile and stationary forces, and civilian infrastructure within range.
The sources separate possession and use from supply-chain conclusions. INSS attributed Kornet missiles in the theater to Russian missiles supplied to Iran, while Army Recognition gave a broader account of earlier Iranian and Hezbollah-linked transfer pathways to Gaza. Those sourcing lines support background on how Kornets reached Gaza-based groups, but the conflict-use claim here rests on reported firing and battlefield employment in the 2023 war.
Sources: INSS Anti-Tank Missile Threat, Army Recognition Panther APC Claim
