The al-Bana (Arabic: البنا) rocket launcher is a weapon developed by Hamas's Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades under the direction of Adnan al-Ghoul and Mohammed Deif. Made from raw material and equipment smuggled into the Gaza Strip using tunnels in Rafah, the al-Bana was the first example, during the Al-Aqsa Intifada, of Hamas' engineers capacity. It was to launch Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel.
The shoulder-fired al-Bana was extensively used during Israeli Defense Forces incursions to fight against tanks and armored vehicles. The al-Bana was replaced, in 2003, by the more elaborated Batar and is no longer used by Hamas. Slightly modified versions of the al-Bana were made and used by other Palestinian militant groups. In 2004, Hamas engineers provided the group with a new and sophisticated shoulder-fired rocket launcher, the Yasin.
References
- Strazzari, Francesco; Tholens, Simone (2010). "Another Nakba: Weapons Availability and the Transformation of the Palestinian National Struggle, 1987-2007". International Studies Perspectives. 11 (2): 112–130. ISSN 1528-3577.
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