History of the Qassam Rocket

Izz ad-Din al-Qassam

The Qassam rocket is named after the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. The rockets and the brigade are named after Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, a Syrian Islamist guerrilla who fought in the Arab revolt of the early 1930s against British military and the local Jewish population in mandatory Palestine. Qassam and two of his followers were killed in November 1935.

The use of Qassam rockets against Israeli civilians is a relatively recent development. Hamas has gained notoriety over three decades, since its inception in late 1987, by carrying out headline-grabbing suicide bombings against Israeli civilians. After a fresh round of Palestinian violence in autumn 2000, tighter Israeli security measures made it more difficult for Hamas to launch its suicide operations. Increasingly, Qassams have become Hamas' weapon of choice.

Qassams were first fired at Israeli civilian targets in October 2001. They were initially directed at Israeli citizens living in the Gaza strip before the unilateral pullout in 2005. The first Qassam to land in Israeli territory was on February 10, 2002. The number of rockets launched in recent years has increased exponentially.

Qassam Rockets Fired Per Year

Year	Rockets Fired	Comments
2001	4	Beginning of rocket fire on Israeli residents in Gaza
2002	35	First year that rockets hit within Israeli territory
2003	155	Smuggling from Egypt increases
2004	281	Rocket strikes in retaliation for Israeli targeted assassinations of Hamas leaders.
2005	179	108 until the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, 71 afterwards
2006	946	First year of mass production
2007	896	421 until the Hamas takeover, 475 afterwards
2008	1082	988 before May cease fire, 28 over the summer, 66 since November 4

SOURCE: Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The remains of Palestinian rockets that landed in Sderot. Photographer: Moshe Shai

SIGN UP FOR THE JPC MAILING LIST

Sign up for our free mailing list, and get the latest analysis on the Middle East and American foreign policy from the JPC. Expect one or two pieces per week. Subscribe now.

The Jewish Policy Center 50 F Street, NW, Suite 100, Washington, DC 20001 Tel: 202.638.2411 Fax: 202.638.6694

The Jewish Policy Center is a not-for-profit, non-partisan, 501(c)3 organization.
The opinions expressed in the pages of this website do not necessarily reflect the views of the Jewish Policy Center, its board, its members, or its staff.