Qassam rocket

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The remnants of an exploded Qassam rocket that was fired from the Gaza Strip at Israel.
The remnants of an exploded Qassam rocket that was fired from the Gaza Strip at Israel.

The Qassam rocket (also Kassam) is a simple home-made steel rocket filled with explosives, produced by the Palestinian Hamas movement. Three models have been used. Although they are sometimes referred to as missiles, they are free-flight artillery rockets lacking any guidance system.

The Gaza Strip, from which most Qassams have been launched, is surrounded by a security barrier and is sometimes free of Israeli soldiers. However, Qaasam rockets were fired regularly even prior to the withdrawal of Israeli settlements. Palestinian militants have had difficulty launching the rockets from outside Gaza. The Qassam is designed to fly over the barrier and strike Israeli targets outside the strip.

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[edit] History of the Qassam

Qassam rockets are named after the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the armed branch of Hamas. According to Hamas, the Qassam rocket was first developed by Nidal Fat'hi Rabah Farahat and produced under the direction of Adnan al-Ghoul, the "Father of the Qassam" who was killed by the Israeli army in October 2004.

Qassams were first fired at Israeli civilian targets in October 2001. However, due to their short range, all landed inside the Gaza Strip. The first Qassam to land in Israeli territory was launched on February 10, 2002. The first time an Israeli city was hit was on March 5, 2002, when two rockets struck Sderot. The total number of Qassam rockets launched exceeded 1000 by June 9, 2006.

Further information: List of Qassam rocket attacks

The introduction of the Qassam rocket took Israeli politicians and military experts by surprise[1]. Reactions have been mixed.[2] The Israeli Ministry of Defense views the Qassams as "more a psychological than physical threat."[3]

The IDF has reacted to the deployment of the Qassam missile by deploying the Red Dawn early warning system in Sderot, Ashkelon and other at risk targets. The system consists of an advanced radar that detects rockets as they are being launched. Loudspeakers warn civilians to take cover approximately twenty seconds before impact in an attempt to minimize much of the threat posed by the rockets.

Since the introduction in 2002 Qassam rockets have caused about ten Israeli deaths.[4]

The IDF believes that the Qassam rocket may soon be phased out of use in favor of Katyusha rockets and other more sophisticated weapons.[5]

[edit] Qassam Rocket Specifications

Qassam 3 Qassam 2 Qassam 1
Length (cm) 200+ 180 79
Diameter (cm) 17 15 6
Weight (kg) 90 32 5.5
Explosives Payload (kg) 10 5-7 0.5
Maximum Range (km) 10 8-10 3

[edit] Similar Rockets

Other Palestinian armed groups also developed home-made rockets, but they are much less common than Hamas' Qassam rocket. The media frequently refer to all Palestinian high-trajectory rockets as "Qassam rockets" or "Qassam missiles", while they call most rockets fired from Lebanon "Katyushas".

See Palestinian domestic weapons production

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=30082
  2. ^ http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3264980,00.html
  3. ^ Defense Ministry: Trade with China resumed, Ynetnews, 3 January 2006
  4. ^ IMEU: What are “Qassam rockets”, and why did Palestinians fire them at Israel?
  5. ^ http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/699852.html

[edit] External links

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