Hamas has amassed an arsenal of primarily homemade, short-range rockets, estimated at some 3,000, which can be fired mostly from mobile launch platforms. Despite the Israeli offensive begun on 27 December, militants have been able to maintain their campaign of rocket fire against targets In Israel. The Qassam 1,2 and 3 are the mainstay of the militants' arsenal. Fabricated from whatevertubing is available - such as commercial metal piping - and powered by a homemade propellant made from potassium nitrate and sugar, these carry a locally made warhead based on a TNT explosive charge. Lacking the industrial facilities needed to produce higher-grade casings and more energetic propellants, the Palestinians can only obtain longer-range rockets by purchasing these from abroad and smuggling them through the intricate network of underground tunnels constructed beneath the border between Gaza and Egypt.
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