Qassam rockets are named after the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the armed branch of Hamas, itself named for Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, a Syrian Muslim preacher whose death during a guerrilla raid against British Mandatory authorities in 1935 was one of the catalysts for the 1936-39 Arab revolt in Palestine [REF].
The production of Qassams began in September 2001 following the outbreak of the Second Intifada.