Qassam rocket
|
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 all but one of the Qassams have been launched, is surrounded by a
security barrier and is free of Israeli soldiers. Palestinian militants have had difficulty launching the rockets from outside Gaza. The Qassam is intended to travel over the barrier and strike Israeli targets outside the strip.
Qassam rockets are named after the
Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military 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 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. Large numbers of rockets began landing in the Western Negev in March of 2006: 49 in March, 64 in April, 46 in May, and over 83 by the end of June. This prompted protests and a demonstration in the town of Sderot, which has been a major target.
Israeli cities and towns have been the main target of Qassams. In some areas, such as Sderot and some
Israeli settlements in
Gaza, shelling occurred frequently. They usually land in open areas, but Qassam rockets have killed 6 to 8 Israelis, three foreign workers and some Palestinians to date. The first fatalities caused by a Qassam occurred on
September 29,
2004. A rocket fell in the town of Sderot, killing Dorit Benisian, aged 2 and Yuval Abebeh, 4.
In August
2003, a Qassam traveled five miles from the Gaza Strip into Israel and landed near
Ashkelon. Another rocket landed near Ashkelon on
December 15,
2005, and rockets have hit near the city on several subsequent occasions. On
June 29,
2006 a dud rocket landed in a neighborhood of Ashkelon for the first time. Ashkelon is the farthest city from Gaza to have been struck by the rockets. The city provides numerous attractive targets besides its civilian population. Defined as 'national infrastructure' installations, the
Rottenberg Power Station and the
Eilat-Ashkelon Pipeline have both been hit a few times causing minor damage.
Other Israeli communities in the Negev to have been hit by Qassam rockets include
Or HaNer,
Nirim, and
Nahal Oz.
On
December 26,
2005, the military wing of the
Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed it possessed
BM-21 Gradrockets with a range of twenty-five kilometers (about 15 mi), and that it could hit southern Israel communities previously immune to rocket threat. The group claimed, however, that it will not launch the rockets unless the IDF attacks the Gaza Strip or
assassinates one of their leaders.
At least thirteen people have been killed and hundreds injured as a result of Qassam rocket fire at Israeli targets. See
List of Qassam rocket attacks for details. Other claims vary. In a June 29th, 2006
Democracy Now interview,
Norman Finkelstein discussed the usage of Qassams in contrast
Israeli artillery shelling::"Since Israel withdrew from Gaza in September 2005 ‘til today, the estimates run between 7,000 and 9,000
heavy artillery shells have been shot and fired into Gaza. On the Palestinian side, the estimates are approximately 1,000 Kassam missiles, crude missiles, have been fired into Israel"..."approximately 80 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza due to Israel artillery firing"..."There have been exactly eight Israelis killed in the last five years from the Kassam missiles. [
1]
Shimon Peres, a prominent figure in the Israeli Left, claimed that Israel can afford to ignore Qassam fire[
2]. Right wing Israelis counter that Israel cannot permit militants to continually impinge its sovereignty and security with impunity.
Despite the Qassam's meager characteristics as a rocket, its use shocked the Israeli army and public, who were used to the Palestinians lacking any method of long-range military weaponry. Many civilian leaders and politicians even ridiculed the idea. [
3]
Hezbollah, in contrast, has long shelled
Israel from
Lebanon using
Katyusha rockets, hitting cities as well as farms and military targets in the sparsely populated northern border zone.
Shimon Peres, a prominent figure in the Israeli Left, claimed that Israel can afford to ignore Qassam fire [
4]. "This hysteria over the Qassams must end," he told journalists at the Knesset. "We're just adding to the hysteria. What happened? Kiryat Shmona was shelled for years. What, there weren't missiles?" Right wing Israelis counter that Israel cannot permit militants to continually impinge its sovereignty and security with impunity.
Most of the launches prior to
2006 were carried out by
Hamas from the
Gaza Strip town of
Beit Hanoun. Following Hamas's victory in Palestinian elections, other groups such as
Islamic Jihad and Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade have launched Qassama as well.
Protective Measures
In order to minimize casualties, the IDF has deployed the
Red Dawn early defense system in Sderot and later on in Ashkelon and other smaller civilian concentration at risk. 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. In
November 2005, the press reported that the
Israel Defense Forces would be purchasing
Skyshield, a
Swiss-designed rapid fire
anti-aircraft defense system specifically to counter any future Qassam attacks.
[http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/01E1EAB3-82F1-4D2F-A392-318BFD1EE23A.htm]Israel has tried to stop the development and manufacture of such rockets by extensive crackdowns on
militants, including
assassinations, and by the destruction of facilities (such as metal shops) which are, or could be used for their construction. It has also destroyed the family homes of many Palestinians involved in the construction or firing of rockets.
Qassam launches have also been the catalyst for a number of large-scale Israeli raids on Gaza, such as
Operation Days of Penitence in
October 2004.
Operation Summer Rains, begun June 27 2006, was triggered by the abduction of Cpl
Gilad Shalit from an Israeli outpost, but it also reflected pressure on the Israel government and IDF to stop the Qassams.
Navy Response
On
March 29,
2006, IDF vessels shelled rocket launching sites in the Gaza Strip for the first time. The IDF directed artillery shells at areas in Gaza used by rocket launching cells, mostly in the northern part of the Strip, in a bid to deter militant cells from operating there.
In the course of these bombardments, which in some cases lasted hours at a time, dozens of shells were launched. The IDF has said the fire is very accurate and never aimed at populated areas, in order to prevent Palestinian civilian casualties.
[http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3234036,00.html]West Bank Fears
A particular concern for the Israelis is the development of longer-range Qassam missiles that, if fielded by Hamas in the
West Bank, could be used to strike at the cities in the country's coastal heartland. Numerous attempts have been made to transfer the production of the rockets to the West Bank, but most have failed, as there has only been one rocket attack from that region.
On
December 11,
2005, the
Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades and the
Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed to have fired a Qassam rocket from the
West Bank at Israeli civilian targets.
[http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-12/12/content_3908070.htm] However, Israeli officials denied such a launch took place, saying the claim was either a lie or the rocket malfunctioned.
[http://www.israelnn.com/news.php3?id=94621] Three days later, on
December 14, an Israeli operation in the West Bank town of
Nablus uncovered explosive labs which were producing Qassam rockets.
[http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3184370,00.html] In
January 2006, however,
Israel reported that a Qassam had indeed been launched from the West Bank.
On
April 9,
2006, members of the elite
Duvdevan Battalion killed
Tanzim fugitive Jabar Akhras in
Bethlehem, after he opened fire on them during an arrest operation. Akhras personally killed two Israeli soldiers on
November 18,
2003, and Israel said he had been the leading figure in attempting to build Qassams in the West Bank.
[http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1143498825826&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull]On
July 9,
2006, a Palestinian militant attempt to fire an improvised rocket in the
Tulkarem failed. Several Palestinian sources boasted during the weekend that they "managed" to launch a rocket, but it turned out that the attempt totally failed.
[http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3273173,00.html]On
July 11,
2006, for the second time in past few days Palestinian militants attempted to launch a rocket from northern West Bank into Israel. The
Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades and
The Al-Quds brigades claimed they succeeded in launching a rocket from the West Bank town of Jenin into Israel. IDF officials have denied any knowledge regarding the rocket launch attempt, saying that if one took place the rocket may not have reached the lift-off stage.
[http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3273694,00.html]Katyusha Fears
On
March 28,
2006,
Islamic Jihad fired a 122mm (4.8") calibre
Katyusha rocket (2.8 meters or 9 ft long, weighing 66 kilograms or about 150 lb) and carrying a 17-kilogram (38 lb) warhead; see
BM-21), a much longer-range projectile than the Qassam, from the Gaza Strip into Israel.
[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4855056.stm] Katyushas have never before been fired from the Palestinian controlled areas. It is believed that it was apparently orchestrated by
Hezbollah, since they are known to use these rockets in northern Israel. Islamic Jihad spokesman
Abu Abdullah claimed that hundreds of these rockets were smuggled into the Gaza Strip by ship across the Gaza-Egypt border from
Sinai. Israeli officials downplayed Islamic Jihad's announcement and said the militant group was in possession of only "a small amount" of Katyushas.
[http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1143498764634&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull]The rocket caused no injuries or damage, but the IDF believes that this could be the beginning of a new era of rockets fired at Israel, replacing highly inaccurate Qassam rockets with Katyushas.
[http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/699852.html] It also raised fears that Gaza-based militant groups might have obtained additional weaponry, including anti-aircraft missiles.
| 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 |
|---|
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".
*
Hamas - Qassam rocket (models 1, 2 and 3)
*
Palestinian Islamic Jihad -
Al Quds rocket, Al Quds 101 rocket
*
Popular Resistance Committees -
al-Nasser rocket (models 1,2,3 and 4)
*
Tanzim -
Seraya rocket*
Fatah -
Kafah rocket*
GlobalSecurity.org - Qassam Rocket *
The Homemade Rocket That Could Change The Mideast â€" By Tony Karon, TIME Online Edition (10 February, 2002)
*
Qassam-2 missile a wild card in Mideast conflict â€" CNN (March 5, 2002)
*
Gaza rockets kill two in Israel, BBC article (June 28, 2004)
*
The creation and launching of Kassam rockets from the Gaza Strip*
Palestinian Weapons Production and Smuggling : Missiles & Rockets*
Special: Gaza kidnapping Israeli News - Ynetnews English version of
Yedioth Ahronoth
