Qassam rocket
The 'Qassam' rocket is a simple steel rocket filled with explosives, developed by Hamas. Three models have been used. All three models lack a guidance system. Qassam rockets are named after the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas.
The rockets have been used to attack various Israeli towns. In some areas, such as Sderot in the Negev and some Israeli settlements in Gaza, shelling occurs almost daily. However, they rarely cause any injuries, and they did not kill an Israeli until June 28, 2004. A particular concern for the Israelis is the development of longer range Qassam missiles that if fielded by terrorists in the West Bank would be used to strike at the cities in the country's coastal heartland (Israel being a very narrow strip of land). In August 2003, a Qassam traveled five miles from the Gaza Strip into Israel and landed near Ashkelon, the farthest a rocket has penetrated. Other Israeli communities in the Negev to have been hit by Qassam rockets include: Or HaNer, Nirim and Nahal Oz.
Despite the Qassam's meager characteristics as a rocket, its use shocked the Israeli military and public, who are used to the Palestinians lacking any method of long-range warfare. Hezbollah, in contrast, has long shelled Israel from Lebanon using the Katyusha rocket, hitting cities as well as farms and military targets in the sparsely populated northern border zone.
So far, as of 2004, most of the launches are carried out by Hamas from the Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun. The Israeli communities most often targeted are Sderot and Kibbutz Saad.
Israel has tried to stop the development and manufacture of such rockets by extensive crackdowns on suspected militants, and by the destruction of facilities (such as metal shops) which could be, or actively are, used for their construction. It has also destroyed the family homes of many Palestinians it claims have been involved in the smuggling or firing of rockets.
On September 29, 2004, a Qassam rocket fired from the Gaza Strip hit the southern Israeli town of Sderot, killing two Israeli children. It was the second fatal Qassam rocket attack. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack.
On October 3, 2004, Mahadi Mushtaha, a senior member of the Qassam production and development team in the Gaza Strip was killed by an Israeli targeted assassination. Mushtaha, a resident of the Jabalya refugee camp, was the manager of workshops and labs producing components of the Qassam rockets. [1]
| Qassam 3 | Qassam 2 | Qassam 1 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Length (cm) | 200+ | 180 | 79 |
| Diameter (mm) | 170 | 150 | 60 |
| Weight (kg) | 15 | 9 | 5.5 |
| Explosives Payload (kg) | 10 | 5-7 | 0.5 |
| Maximum Range (km) | 10 | 8-10 | 3 |
External links
- The Homemade Rocket That Could Change The Mideast – By Tony Karon, TIME Online Edition (11 February, 2002)
- Qassam-2 missile a wild card in Mideast conflict – CNN (March 5, 2002)
- Gaza rockets kill two in Israel, BBC article (June 28, 2004)