Title: Qassams, Rockets and Mortar Bombs of the Palestinian Terrorist Organisations
1Qassams, Rockets and Mortar Bombs of the
Palestinian Terrorist Organisations
Arabic text reads The Qassam Piercing the
fortresses
2Qassam Facts and Figures
- More than 2,300 Qassams and Mortar bombs fired
from Gaza at Israeli towns and communities in
20071 - Thats 1 rocket or mortar bomb every 4 hours
- Since Israels unilateral withdrawal from Gaza in
August 2007, more than 3,600 Qassams and mortars
have been fired at Israel2 - Since Jan. 2001, 7,639 rockets and mortar bombs
have been fired at Israeli civilians3 - In 2007, 2 people were killed and more than 127
people were physically wounded by the rocket and
mortar fire4 - According to the Israeli Police, 23 people have
been killed and more than 458 injured by Qassams
and mortar bombs since 20015 - Twenty-eight percent of Sderots 23,000 residents
suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome6 - Seventy-four percent of children aged 7-12 show
symptoms of fear and 57 percent have difficulty
sleeping7 - More than 1,600 people have been treated for
shock8
3What is a Qassam?
Source Israel Police Bomb Disposal Division
and Israel Information and Terrorism Information
Center
4Terrorist Groups and their Rockets
- Qassam is a generic label for rockets
manufactured by Palestinian terrorist groups. - Only Hamas rockets are called Qassams
- Each separate terrorist group designs and builds
its own rockets and have their own names for them - Hamas Qassam rocket
- Islamic Jihad - Al-Quds rocket
- Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades Al-Aqsa and Yasser
rockets - Popular Resistance Committees Nasser
- Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
Samoud rocket
Source for following information Israel Police
Bomb Disposal Division and Israel Information
and Terrorism Information Center
5Hamas Rockets
Qassam I
- Hamas produced the first Palestinian-made rocket
calling it the Qassam - First Appearance Oct. 27, 2001, Kibbutz Nir Am
- Range 4km
- Explosive in Warhead 0.5-1kg
- Diameter 60mm
6Hamas Rockets
Short-Range Qassam II
- First appearance Feb. 10, 2002
- Max. Range 7km
- Explosives in warhead 8kg
- Diameter 115mm
- Length 180cm
- Weight 30 40kg
7Hamas Rockets
Long-Range Qassam II
- Max. Range 10km
- Explosives in warhead 8kg
- Diameter 115mm
- Length 250cm
- Weight 50kg
8Hamas Rockets
Qassam III
- First appearance June 11, 2006
- Dual Engine Rocket
- Range 13km
- Explosives in warhead 10kg
- Diameter 115mm
- Length 260cm
- Weight 40 - 50kg
9Palestinian Islamic Jihads Rockets
Al-Quds 101
- First appearance May / Nov 2005
- Range 9km
- Explosives in warhead 3-4kg
- Diameter 90 - 115mm
- Length
- Weight
10Palestinian Islamic Jihads Rockets
Al-Quds 2
- Range 6-7km
- Explosives in warhead 8kg
- Diameter 90 - 115mm
- Length 110-150cm
- Weight 23.5 - 33.5kg
11Palestinian Islamic Jihads Rockets
Al-Quds 3
- First appearance March 2006
- Range 6 - 9km
- Explosives in warhead 6 - 8kg
- Diameter 102 - 127.5mm
- Length 130 - 200cm
- Weight 35 - 42kg
12Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades Rockets
Al-Aqsa Rocket
- First Appearance Nov. 30, 2004
- Range 5-7km
- Explosives in warhead 3 - 4kg
- Diameter 90 - 115mm
13Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades Rockets
Al-Yasser Rocket (In Development)
Al-Jazeera, November 6, 2007
14Popular Resistance Committees
Nasser
- Popular Resistance Committees Nasser
- Range 6 - 9km
- Explosives in warhead 9 -10kg
- Diameter 90-115mm
- Length 125-180cm
- Weight 25 40kg
15Katyushas
- Palestinian terrorist organizations have obtained
and fired a number of Grad (Katyusha) rockets - They have also attempted to manufacture their own
Grad rockets9 - Range 20km (13 miles)
- Explosives in warhead 18kg (39.6lbs)
- Diameter 122mm
- Length 280cm (9 feet)
- Weight 62-66kg (136.4 145lbs)
16Palestinian-Manufactured Mortar Bombs
17Mortars
- Range 1 - 4km
- Diameter 80 - 250mm
- Weight 3 - 25kg
- Explosives in warhead 1kg - 2kg
18Quotes from Terrorist Leaders on Qassams
- Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas leader and former
Palestinian Prime Minister - Aug. 2005 -
- The Qassam rockets is what forced the
enemy out. This is a victory for the resistance
and for all of the Palestinian people.11 - Hamas spokesman, Sami Abu Zuhri - May 20, 2007
-
- The Palestinian resistance, especially
Hamas and its armed wing Izzedin al-Qassam, will
keep up launching homemade shells on the Israeli
settlements and communities.12 - Abu Ahmed, Palestinian Islamic Jihad Spokesman, -
Sept. 4, 2007 -
- The rockets have become accurate, they
hardly miss, and most important they manage to
disrupt the Israelis livesWe definitely planned
to increase the rocket fire when the school year
opened.13 - Abu Ahmed - May 21, 2007
-
- The Zionist attack will not stop rocket
fire against Zionist towns.14
19Map of Towns and Communities Hit by Qassam and
Mortar Fire
20Damage Caused by Qassams and Mortars
Courtesy of Haaretz (Limor Edrey)
Courtesy of Reuters
21Endnotes
- IDF Spokesmans Unit, Dec. 31, 2007
- IDF Spokesmans Unit, Nov. 30, 2007
- IDF Spokesmans Unit, Dec. 31, 2007
- Micky Rosenfeld, Israel Police Spokesman, Jan. 1,
2008 - Micky Rosenfeld, Israel Police Spokesman, Jan. 1,
2008 - Dr. Berger, Rony and Dr. Gelkopf, Marc in
cooperation with Dr. Tzemach, Mina Director of
Dachaf Public Opinion Research Institute, The
Impact of the Ongoing Traumatic Stress Conditions
on Sderot Research Survey - Initial Findings and
Recommendations October 2007, Natal Israel
Trauma Center for Victims of Terror and War and
Situation Report Gaza, June 1, 2007, United
Nations Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), http//domino.un.org/
UNISPAL.NSF/db942872b9eae454852560f6005a76fb/29675
fb5ff97c3e3852572ed0064f30e!OpenDocument - Ibid.
- Stoil, Rebecca Anna, Toddler hurt after Kassam
hits home, The Jerusalem Post, Dec. 16, 2007,
http//www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cJPArticle
cid1196847352499pagenameJPost2FJPArticle2FSh
owFull - Rocket threat from the Gaza Strip, 2000-2007,
Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at
the Israel Intelligence Heritage Commemoration
Center (IICC), December 2007, http//www.terrorism
-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/r
ocket_threat_e.htm - Hussain, Aiza, Quotes from Hamas leaders on
Hamas, Israel, and Palestinian politics,
Foundation for Middle East Peace, Jan. 19, 2006,
http//tinyurl.com/2tg2lf - Almeghari, Rami, Hamas to continue homemade
shells fire despite Israeli threats,
International Middle East Media Center and
Agencies, May 20, 2007, http//www.imemc.org/artic
le/48500 - Waked, Ali Al-Quds Brigades Sderot strike
strengthens us, YnetNews, Sept. 4, 2007,
http//www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3445458,
00.html - Issacharoff, Avi, and Harel, Amos, Haniyeh vows
Hamas will fight until 'victory or martyrdom,'
Haaretz, May 21,2007, http//www.haaretz.com/hasen
/spages/861661.html
22(No Transcript)