Background on Kassam Missiles
Missile fire against Sderot and the western Negev began in
January 2001. For the past 8 years, over 10,000 rockets have
been launched towards Sderot and the western Negev. The
Kassam rockets have claimed the lives of 28 Israelis; 9 of
which were residents of Sderot, and 3 of whom were children.
In addition, over 600 Israeli citizens have been injured and
thousands have been psychologically traumatized by the
rocket explosions. The rockets have damaged countless homes
and properties in Sderot and thewestern Negev.
Sderot is located approximately 2.5 km away from Gaza, and
absorbs most of the missiles fired from Gaza. The rockets have
forced thousands of Sderot residents to leave the city and
relocate elsewhere in Israel.
The Kassam Missile
The short range Kassam missile was developed by the Hamas
terrorist organization, with the aid of Iran, Hizbullah, and the
Palestinian Authority. The rocket was named after the Izz
ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, itself
named after an Islamic Mujahid who led a Palestinian
group in the 1930s.
The Kassam missile, which can reach to a distance of 20 km,
is fueled by a mixture of potassium nitrate and sugar (solid
propellant). Kassam missiles are manufactured and deployed
primarily in the Gaza Strip. However, the IDF has seized
Kassam missiles in Palestinian areas of the West Bank.
Due to the fact that they're cheap, easy to manufacture, and
simple to transport and operate, the Kassam missile is used as
the main weapon of terror against Israeli civilians by Palestinian
terrorist operatives. Hamas and other terrorist organizations
in the Gaza Strip use elementary technology to produce
large quantities of rockets, which give them the ability to
attack the Israeli populace in the western Negev at any time.
Palestinian terrorists employ various methods including
Google Earth, to fire Qassams towards civilian targets. The
IDF cannot effectively respond to rocket launchers due to the
fact that 97% rockets are fired from civilian populated areas in
Gaza, often nearby schools, hospitals and mosques.
More than 2,500 mortar shells were fired between 2001 and
November 2007. Their short range made them effective before
the disengagement, especially when they were aimed at Jewish
communities and IDF forces located in the Gaza Strip. In the
absence of Israeli targets after the disengagement, there was a
sharp decrease in mortar fire.
However, since April 2007, terrorist organizations have begun
to make greater use of mortar shells, especially Hamas. Mortar
rockets are aimed at IDF forces operating in the Gaza Strip
and along the security fence, at the crossings (especially
Kerem Shalom) and at the Israeli communities close to the
security fence, such as Netiv Ha'asara, Kibbutz Kerem Shalom
and Kibbutz Nahal Oz. In the year 2008, Palestinian mortar
fire claimed the lives of 3 Israeli civilians living
on local kibbutzim.
Because the Katuysha rocket is much more advanced both in
distance and design than the Kassam, Katuysha rockets are
used to target heavily populated Israeli cities like Ashkelon.
Iranian-produced, 122mm Grad Katuysha rockets launched
from Gaza have landed countless times in both industrial and
residential areas of Ashkelon. In March 2008, a Katyusha
rocket hit a busy Ashkelon mall, physically and psychologically
wounding over 90 Israelis.
Palestinian Terrorist Groups in Gaza
Since Hamas's takeover of Gaza in mid-June 2007 to December
2007, there have been 475 missiles and 635 mortar shells
launched at Israeli cities. Hamas rockets are identified by their
red and green coloring
Palestinian Islamic Jihad is affiliated with the Egyptian
Islamic Jihad, and is believed to be funded by Hezbollah,
Syria and Iran. The armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, the Al-
Quds brigade, fires missiles towards Sderot and the Western
Negev on a regular basis. The organization produces the Al-
Quds Kassam missiles (types 1, 2 and 3), which are identified
by their red and yellow coloring.
Al-Aqsa Martyr Brigades, the armed military wing of Palestinian
president Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party, frequently carries
out missile attacks against Israel. In February 2008, the terrorist
faction carried out a suicide bombing in the southern Israeli
city of Dimona. Their missiles are identified by yellow coloring
with Arabic writing. The U.S. State department identifies
Al-Aqsa Martyr Brigades as a terrorist organization.
The Sderot Media Center
The Sderot Media Center works in two domains:
As an informational body, SMC works with local and foreign
media, and with diplomatic representatives. The organization
aims to balance media and global public opinion of Israel, by
presenting the voices of local Sderot residents and documenting
their stories. SMC distributes movies, articles, investigative
reports via SMC's website, www.sderotmedia.com, generating
international awareness to the weekly rocket attacks on
SMC also conducts visits for students, ambassadors, journalists,
and private people to Sderot, enabling outsiders to view
up-close the security situation of Sderot residents.
SMC also initiates social advocacy and community projects
for Sderot. Examples of past projects include the "Shotetut"
photo gallery where Sderot children were given cameras to
document life under rocket fire. At the conclusion of the project,
a photo gallery featuring the photographs taken by the
Sderot children was opened for visitors. SMC has also established
a campaign to form a Knesset Members' committee that
will represent local residents who seek fair compensation from
the Israel Tax Authorities for properties damaged by Kassam
rockets. Finally, SMC recently held a "Creative Writing"
Project for the Sderot community, where local residents of all
ages wrote poems, songs and short stories, expressing their
experience with rockets and what life in Sderot and the Negev