Qassam rocket
Qassam | |
---|---|
Service history | |
Used by | Palestinian militants |
Wars | Gaza–Israel conflict |
Production history | |
Designer | Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades |
Designed | 2001 |
Manufacturer | Palestinian militants |
Produced | 2001–current |
Specifications | |
Mass | Qassam 1: 35 kg; Qassam 2: 40 kg; Qassam 3: 50 kg; Qassam 4: 40–50 kg[1] |
Length | Qassam 1: 180 cm; Qassam 2: 180 cm; Qassam 3: 220 cm; Qassam 4: 244 cm[1] |
Diameter | Qassam 1: 11.5 cm; Qassam 2: 11.5 cm; Qassam 3: 11.5 cm; Qassam 4: 11.5 cm[1] |
Warhead | Explosive material with metal bearing balls;[2] standard explosive material[3] |
Warhead weight | Qassam 1: 5 kg; Qassam 2: 10 kg; Qassam 3: 20 kg; Qassam 4:~10 kg |
Propellant | Solid fuel (sugar and potassium nitrate mix) |
Operational range | Qassam 1: 5 km; Qassam 2:12 km; Qassam 3: 16 km |
The Qassam rocket (
Since the rocket was first manufactured in 2001 by
Leading international human rights organizations have called Palestinian armed groups' use of Qassam rockets against civilian and civilian targets a war crime and a violation of international law.
Many of the rocket's components are made of common materials such as sugar, fertilizer, firearms cartridges, springs, nails, and steel cylinders.
History
Name
Qassam rockets are named after the
Manufacture and deployment
Hamas launched the first Qassam-1 rocket attack in October 2001, during the
Rocket, design and cost
Rocket
The Qassam rocket is the best-known type of rocket deployed by
Design
The utility of the Qassam rocket design is assumed to be ease and speed of manufacture, using common tools and components. To this end, the rockets are propelled by a solid mixture of
The rocket consists of a steel cylinder, containing a rectangular block of the propellant. A steel plate which forms and supports the nozzles is then spot-welded to the base of the cylinder. The warhead consists of a simple metal shell surrounding the explosives, and is triggered by a fuse constructed using a simple firearm cartridge, spring and a nail.[15]
Early designs used a single nozzle which screwed into the base; later rockets use a seven-nozzle design, with the nozzles drilled directly into the rocket baseplate. This alteration both increases the tolerance of the rocket to small nozzle design defects, and makes manufacture easier by allowing the use of a drill rather than a lathe during manufacture (because of the smaller nozzle size). Unlike many other rockets, the nozzles are not canted, which means the rocket does not spin about its longitudinal axis during flight. While this results in a significant decrease in accuracy, it greatly simplifies manufacture and the launch systems required.[15]
Cost
The cost of the materials used for manufacturing each Qassam is up to $800 or €500 (in 2008–2009) per rocket.[16][17]
Reactions
Israeli
The introduction of the Qassam rocket was unexpected by Israeli politicians and military experts,[18] and reactions have been mixed.[19] In 2006, the Israeli Ministry of Defense viewed the Qassams as "more a psychological than physical threat."[20] A 2008 study found that over half of Sderot's residents have been hurt, either physically or psychologically, by the use of Qassams.[21] The Israel Defense Forces has reacted to the deployment of the Qassam rockets by deploying the Red Color early warning system in Sderot, Ashkelon, and other potential targets placed at risk. The system consists of an advanced radar that detects rockets as they are being launched, and loudspeakers warn civilians to take cover between 15 and 45 seconds before impact[22] in an attempt to minimize the threat posed by the rockets. A system called Iron Dome, designed to intercept[23] the rockets before they can hit their targets, has been in use since March 2011. A system based on lasers (Nautilios) was researched in a joint Israeli-American project in the early 2000s, but was discontinued.[citation needed]
An online clock timer,
Palestinian
In 2012, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas stated "There is no justification for rockets from Gaza or anywhere else," adding that "Rocket attacks are in vain because they do not bring peace any closer."[29]
Human rights groups
Amnesty additionally "has documented that Palestinian armed groups have stored munitions in and fired indiscriminate rockets from residential areas in the Gaza Strip, and available evidence indicates that they continue to do both during the
Similar Palestinian rockets
Other Palestinian militant groups have also developed home-made rockets. The media generally refer to all Palestinian high-trajectory rockets as "Qassam rockets" or "Qassam missiles", while they call most rockets fired from Lebanon "Katyushas", as a Katyusha is not a specific model but rather a generic class of rocket.
- Al Quds 101 & 2
- Popular Resistance Committees – al Nasser-3
- Tanzim – Saria-2
- Fatah – Kafah
- PFLP – Samoud-1
The Israeli Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center estimated that in 2007[34] the proportions of rockets fired were:
- 34% – Palestinian Islamic Jihad
- 22% – Hamas
- 8% – Fatah
- 6% – Popular Resistance Committees
- 30% – unknown
The Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center reports that the number of Palestinian rockets fired per year[34] were:
- 2001: 4
- 2002: 35
- 2003: 155
- 2004: 281
- 2005: 179
- 2006: 946
- 2007: 896
- 2008: 2,048[35]
See also
- Ababeel1
- Improvised artillery in the Syrian Civil War
References
- ^ a b c "What are Qassam Rockets?". Jewish Policy Center.org. Archived from the original on 14 April 2009. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- ^ "רגעי האימה של ילדי שדרות בדרך לבית-ספר". nana10.co.il. 3 September 2007. Archived from the original on 3 July 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- ^ "שדרונט- הקסאם". sderonet.co.il. Archived from the original on 4 July 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- ^ a b c "Gaza: Palestinian Rockets Unlawfully Targeted Israeli Civilians". hrw.org/news/. Human Rights Watch. 24 December 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
- ^ Rocket threat from the Gaza Strip, 2000–2007 (PDF). Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (Report). Israel Intelligence Heritage and Commemoration Center. December 2007. p. 33. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 June 2010. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
- ^ a b "HAMAS rockets". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 11 August 2009.
- ^ "History of the Qassam Rocket". Jewish Policy Center. Archived from the original on 24 July 2009. Retrieved 12 August 2009.
- . Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 10 February 2002. Retrieved 11 August 2009.
- ^ "Victims of Palestinian Violence and Terrorism since September 2000". Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Archived from the original on 2007-04-03. Retrieved 2008-03-06. Incidents: June 28, 2004 (2 killed), September 29, 2004 (2 killed), January 15, 2005 (1 killed), June 7, 2005 (3 killed), July 14, 2005 (1 killed), November 15, 2006 (1 killed), November 21, 2006 (1 killed), May 21, 2007 (1 killed), May 27, 2007 (1 killed), February 27, 2008 (1 killed), May 12, 2008 (1 killed)
- ^ al-Mughrabi, Nidal (January 9, 2009). "UN call for immediate Gaza truce, attacks go on". Reuters. Archived from the original on January 18, 2009.
- ^ Hadad, Shmulik (1995-06-20). "Man killed in Qassam attack". Ynetnews. Ynetnews.com. Retrieved 2011-09-07.
- ^ Gaza's rocket threat to Israel, BBC, 21 January 2008
- ^ a b c [1], Human Rights Watch, 8 June 2005
- ^ a b c Lorber, Azriel. "The Growing Threat of the Kassam Unguided Rockets". Archived from the original on 2009-02-19. Retrieved 2009-01-05.
- ^ "What are Qassam Rockets?". Jewish Policy Center. Archived from the original on 14 April 2009. Retrieved 9 August 2009. "The raw materials for one rocket can cost up to $800."
- ^ Ulrike Putz (29 January 2008). "A Visit to a Gaza Rocket Factory (Islamic Jihad)". Spiegel Online. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
- ^ "Historical Survey of Israeli Leaders: Will Rockets Fall?". IMRA. 15 July 2006. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- Ynetnews. 20 June 2006. Retrieved 11 March 2007.
- Ynetnews. 1 March 2006. Retrieved 11 March 2007.
- ^ Curiel, Ilana (24 November 2008). "Study: Over half of Sderot residents are Qassam casualties". Ynet.
- ^ "Rocket attacks plague Israeli towns". BBC. 28 December 2008. Retrieved 5 January 2009.
- ^ a b Ronen, Gil (27 August 2014). "Watch: Iron Dome Intercepts More Than 10 Rockets at Once". www.israelnationalnews.com/News/. Arutz Sheva. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
- ^ a b Yehonatan, Tsirolnik; Friedman, Aaron. "ISRAEL HAS BEEN ROCKET FREE FOR..." Retrieved 15 August 2014.
- ^ IDF. "Rocket Attacks on Israel from Gaza Strip". idfblog.com/facts-figures/. Israel Defense Forces. Archived from the original on 4 August 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
- ^ Press, Viva Sarah (19 July 2014). "Israelhasbeenrocketfree.com automatically resets when Hamas fires a rocket toward Israel". www.israel21c.org. ISRAEL21c. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
- ^ Haaretz (21 July 2014). "How long has it been since the last rocket strike on Israel?". No. haaretz.com/business. Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
- ^ "15 Qassam Rockets intercepted At Once By The Iron Dome". www.youtube.com. Youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2014-08-26. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
- Jerusalem Post. 11 February 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- ^ Soffer, Ari (13 July 2014). "PA Official Admits: Israel Follows International Law, We Don't". israelnationalnews.com/News/. Arutz Sheva. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
- ^ "Palestinian Envoy to UNHRC: Israelis Warn Civilians Before Attacks, We Don't". youtube.com. MEMRITVVideos. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
- ^ "Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories: Israel/Gaza conflict". July 2014.
- ^ a b "Protection of the civilian population". Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I), 8 June 1977. International Committee of the Red Cross. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
- ^ a b Anti-Israeli Terrorism in 2007 and its Trends in 2008 (PDF). Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (Report). Israel Intelligence Heritage and Commemoration Center. May 2008. p. 11,28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 October 2009. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
- ^ "חדשות - צבא וביטחון nrg - ...שנה לעופרת יצוקה: ירידה חדה". nrg.co.il. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
External links
- GlobalSecurity.org – Qassam Rocket
- The Homemade Rocket That Could Change The Mideast – By Tony Karon, TIME Online Edition (10 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)
- A Visit to a Gaza Rocket Factory, by Ulrike Putz, der Spiegel international (January 29, 2008, in English)
- Katyusha & Qassam Rockets on www.aerospaceweb.org
- Photos: Qassam rockets in Sderot
- Gaza's Bottle Rockets - Why Hamas' Arsenal Wasn't Worth a War (2014-08-03), Foreign Affairs
- Gabi Siboni, The Operational Aspects to Fighting the Qassam, "Military and Strategic Affairs", Volume 9, No. 3, November 2006.