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Does Israel have effective nuclear weapons? Chinese military experts have doubts

  • As Israel’s war with Hamas rages on in Gaza, international groups worry about potential for nuclear conflict
  • Chinese defence contractor says reliability of Israeli nuclear strike capabilities is ‘questionable’

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Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in the Tal Al-Hawa neighbourhood in Gaza on Friday. Photo: EPA-EFE
Victoria Bela
As the war between Israel and Hamas rages on in Gaza, international organisations have expressed their concern over a widening of the conflict, which has the potential to involve nuclear weapons.
On October 7, the surprise Hamas attack on Israel began a war that has taken the lives of thousands of civilians. As Israel continues to enact what United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called “collective punishment” against Palestinian civilians, fear and anger have grown.

The attack on Israel also exposed a weakness in its military defence, with many questioning whether Israel could still defend itself with conventional weapons.

In an October 9 post on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, Israeli lawmaker Revital Gotliv urged the government to unleash a “doomsday weapon” carried by Israel’s Jericho ballistic missiles.

But the extent of Israel’s nuclear capabilities – and whether the country could use them effectively in battle – remains an open question.

Many international organisations and countries – including China – believe that Israel has nuclear weapons. But Israel has conducted few, if any, tests. The mystery that surrounds its nuclear programme has sparked questions among military experts about the nation’s actual deterrence capabilities.

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