GAZA, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Hamas movement, said Thursday it has developed the range of its rockets to reach more than 160 km.
The group's announcement was made as it marked the 16th year of firing its first homemade rocket into Israel that had only reached three kilometers, and was called Qassam 1.
The group showed on its website how it developed its makeshift rockets, and gradually developed its range from 3 km to 9 km in 2005, then to 75 km in 2012 and then in 2014, the range reached 80 km.
Since the end of the last large-scale Israeli military offensive waged on the Gaza Strip during the summer of 2014 and lasted for 50 days, Hamas said it developed its arsenal of rockets and its defensive abilities.
Israel and the United States insisted that Hamas should be disarmed, in order to recognize a reconciliation agreement signed between the Islamic movement and President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah Party in Cairo on Oct. 12.
Yehya Sinwar, Gaza Hamas chief said in an earlier statement that Hamas rejects Israel and U.S. condition, and insisted that Hamas won't drop its weapon "as long as Israel keeps occupying the Palestinian territories."
Hamas armed wing said on its website that "developing rockets explains their determination to carry on until defeating the occupation and ending it on the Palestinian territories."
Adnan Abu Aamer, a political science professor and analyst specialized in Islamic movements affairs, told Xinhua "one of the achievements that Hamas made is to oblige Israel to pull out from Gaza in 2005 because of the rockets."
"Over the past 16 years, Hamas' use of rockets in the conflict with Israel changed the rules of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, where Hamas remained as a serious and real threat to the occupation's power," he said.
On Nov. 21, Hamas, Fatah and all other Palestinian factions and powers are scheduled to convene in Cairo to discuss issues related to disarming military groups, forming a unity government and holding elections.