Israel starts using the latest Eitan wheeled armored personnel carrier in the war against Hamas (photos, video)
The IDF ground operation in the Gaza Strip should be a real test for a number of new Israeli billion-dollar developments, including the Iron Beam laser system, which has already had a “false start” in the form of a computer game recording, the Merkava Mk 5 Barak tank, and the Eitan wheeled armored personnel carrier.
Regarding the latter, the IDF recently published a number of photos on its official resources that indicate that the Israeli military is already actively using this armored personnel carrier on the battlefield.
In particular, one of the images of the Eitan wheeled armored personnel carrier was published by the Israeli Defense Forces as part of a story about the 29th day of the war with Hamas (November 4, 2023), and the photo was placed under an excerpt where the IDF reported that the Israeli military had struck anti-tank firing positions and a military post of Hezbollah terrorists in response to the launch of an anti-tank missile from Lebanon.
The Eitan armored personnel carrier was first presented in August 2016, with serial production starting in 2022. By the way, when choosing guns for its latest armored combat vehicles, Israel carefully studied the experience of combat operations in Ukraine.
At the same time, the vehicle entered service with the IDF in 2023. On May 28, the head of the Israeli Defense Ministry’s Tanks and Armored Personnel Carrier Directorate, Oren Hiber, said that the first production Eitan APCs were delivered to the 933rd Nahal Infantry Brigade, part of the 162nd HaPlad Armored Division of the Southern Military District.
Therefore, the war against Hamas will be the first real combat test for these newest Israeli armored personnel carriers, and as previously noted in the media, the Nahal Brigade first used the Eitan APC on October 7, the first day Hamas militants attacked Israel, and that this vehicle took part in the battles in Zikim, where the Israeli Bahad 4 military training base is located.
It should be recalled that Israel was developing its Eitan APC to replace the American M113 armored personnel carrier – back in 2014, after Operation Protective Edge, the need for a new vehicle became acute.
