Qassam.

This is coolbert:

The Qassam rocket artillery round has become the weapon of choice by Hamas in their continuing terrorist war against Israel.

Qassam. Crudely made [home-built actually] rockets that for a period of five years now [?] have been launched against targets in Israel that are close to the Gaza Strip. Gaza of course being the home base for Hamas.

Taking a cue from the Iranian and the Hezbollah, Hamas has made a conscious decision to employ rocket artillery against the Israeli. Build their own rockets and employ at their discretion, without having to worry about outside supply.

The Qassam are very crude indeed. A large piece of pipe with fins and nose cone, no guidance system, small shrapnel-filled warhead, and primitive home-brewed propellant. A propellant formula possibly obtained from the Internet?

"Qassams are sometimes referred to as 'homemade' or 'primitive', but critics dispute this, maintaining that they require "both expertise and dedicated locations to 'manufacture',"

[crude and primitive by the standards with which all other rocket artillery in the world would be judged.]

Qassam, as primitive and inaccurate as they currently are, are becoming more sophisticated and deadly with time. The original Qassam-1 and Qassam-2 carried a warhead with only a pound of explosive. The latest version of Qassam, Qasam-3, carries a twenty pound warhead. Much more deadly than the earlier incarnations.

"6ft lengths of iron drainpipes or lampposts with four stabilizing fins soldered into place. Launched from crude sloping racks and propelled by a mixture of sugar, oil, alcohol and fertilizer, they had a range of less than five miles and carried just 1lb of explosives to scatter the shrapnel load."

"Qassam-3, packs over 20lb of explosive and can reach more than 15 miles inside Israel."

During that five year period, about two thousand [2,000] Qassam have fallen on Israel. Hamas must have a considerable number of workshops dedicated just to the fabrication of Qassam in all the variations. And, despite Israeli efforts, the barrage, on a daily basis [?], at the discretion of Hamas seems to show no signs of let!

The nearby [to Gaza] Israeli town of Sderot seems to be a popular target for Qassam rockets. Only three years ago, about 25,000 persons lived in Sderot. Since then, half the population [?] has voluntarily fled the city for greener pastures.

"around half the population has left since the attacks intensified earlier this year"

[is the glass half-full, or half-empty!!??]

QASSAM DOES NOT NEED TO BE ACCURATE, SOPHISTICATED, OR EVEN DEADLY. QASSAM IS A TERROR WEAPON! INSTILL FEAR AND APPREHENSION, REGARDLESS OF CASUALTIES!! THE CONTINUING QASSAM THREAT IS ENOUGH TO MAKE MANY PERSONS JUST UP AND LEAVE, NOT WILLING TO PUT UP A CONTINUED AND POSSIBLY LONG-TERM "INCONVENIENCE" AND "NUISANCE".

"The Israeli Ministry of Defense views the Qassams as 'more a psychological than physical threat.'"

[THE THREAT, EVEN IF MORE PSYCHOLOGICAL THAN PHYSICAL, IS NONETHELESS A THREAT!!]

"It's true the Qassams don't kill many people, but they have largely destroyed the normal fabric of life in the town [Sderot]. Everyone exists in a state of permanent alert, which is physically and psychologically very destructive."

"The purpose of terror is to terrorize" - - V.I. Lenin.

[I can bet you that the number of casualties, killed and wounded in Sderot during the last three years is dwarfed by whatever carnage has existed on Israeli roads in the same time period!!]

"Since the introduction in 2001 Qassam rockets have caused 12 deaths"

Israel does employ some effective measures intended to protect the citizens of Sderot. To include:

* Laser and radar detection of Qassam launches.

"an advanced radar that detects rockets as they are being launched."

"a laser beam detects the sudden increase in heat after a rocket has been fired"

* Above-ground bomb-proof shelters.

"freestanding steel-and-concrete shelters, known as 'life shields', dotted around public places."

* Television surveillance of Gaza from a tethered blimp.

"surveillance cameras mounted in a blimp"

* Warning sirens and outdoor intercom to provide audible warning. [TAKE COVER!!]

"Loudspeakers warn civilians to take cover approximately twenty seconds before impact"

The continuing strain on the residents of Sderot for YEARS NOW must be almost unbearable. Consider the status of the mayor:

"Moyal [the mayor of Sderot] has been assaulted in the street more than once and is trailed by a bodyguard."

The Qassam is a typical 4th generation warfare weapon. DOES NOT need to kill you to do the intended job. Terrorize and intimidate. Make your life unbearable and and never-ending nightmare. Create apprehensiveness and trauma even when NOT killing!!

coolbert.