Gaza engineer describes Hamas rocket experiments
Sections of investigation into Dirar Abu Sisi, taken into custody from Ukraine and brought to Israel, reveal Hamas military secrets.

by Yaakov Lappin
Jerusalem Post
August 11, 2011

http://www.jewishpolicycenter.org/2354/gaza-engineer-describes-hamas-rocket-experiments

Gaza power plant engineer Dirar Abu Sisi, who was taken into custody from the Ukraine in March and brought to Israel, provided a rare in depth look at Hamas attempts to develop longer-range rockets aimed at Israeli civilians and efforts to improve its military capabilities following Operation Cast Lead.

The Beersheba Magistrate's Court released sections of the investigation by security forces of the Abu Sisi for publication on Thursday.

Abu Sisi is charged with national security offenses, conspiracy to commit murder, and being active in a terrorist organization.

According to a report by Channel 10, during questioning, Abu Sisi described Hamas as a hierarchical organization which seeks to learn from mistakes and to constantly improve its attack capabilities against Israel.

He reportedly confessed to carrying out rocket experiments, during which projectiles were fired out to the Mediterranean Sea from Khan Younis. "The rocket fell [into the water] after 22 kilometers, thought it was supposed to fall after 30 kilometers" he said during questioning, according to Channel 10.

During the time of the experiments, Hamas was lacking material required to extend the range of the rockets. The material was later acquired through smuggling tunnels linking the Sinai Peninsula to Gaza.

According to the report, Abu Sisi expressed regret for his work on behalf of Hamas, saying, "I'm very sorry for belonging to the Muslim Brothers and Hamas, and for my activities in developing rocket ranges and setting up the Hamas military activity." Abu Sisi also said he regretted all of the information he gave to Hamas that now threatens the security of Israeli civilians, the report said.

Abu Sisi said during questioning that he received veiled death threats from senior Hamas officials when he expressed a desire to leave the organization.

Abu Sisi said that following Operation Cast Lead in 2008-2009, when Hamas gunmen abandoned their positions in the face of advancing IDF troops, Hamas military commander Ahmed Jabari, who heads Hamas's military wing, and senior Hamas member Muhammad Daf concluded that the organization had failed during the conflict, and appointed Abu Sisi to help set up a military academy.

Hamas carried out an evaluation of its own performance, and found that its decision making processes had failed, and that weapons were not used correctly during battles, Abu Sisi said. It also found failures in command and management levels.

Abu Sisi said he was ordered to manage the administrative and management aspects of the academy. "I prepared the management side of things for the new military academy," he said.

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