Rascal
12-26-2006, 12:39 PM
Qassam rocket
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The neutrality of this article is disputed.
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 sometime free of Israeli soldiers. However, Qaasam rockets, were fired regulary, even prior to the withdrawl of Israeli settlements. 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.
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. 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.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The neutrality of this article is disputed.
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 sometime free of Israeli soldiers. However, Qaasam rockets, were fired regulary, even prior to the withdrawl of Israeli settlements. 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.
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. 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.