The military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Hamas movement on Saturday said its rockets attacks were means of resistance to the Israeli occupation.

"Bringing Grad missiles to the military suit of Ezz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades was a qualitative and important step to resist the Zionist occupation," said Abu Obaida, a spokesman for the armed wing of Hamas, in statements published by al-Qassam's information office.

Hamas fired the Russian-made Grad rockets intensively at the Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip during the 22-day large-scale Israeli military offensive in Gaza that ended on January 18.

"The rockets have had a great impact on the Zionists; both the confused public and the political and security leadership," the spokesman added.

He rejected the idea that Israel carried out its offensive against Gaza to stop the rocket attacks.

The Gaza offensive "would have taken place even if we did not have gotten these rockets; the goal of the war was political aiming at toppling the resistance and the regime in the Gaza Strip," he said.

Before the war, Abu Obaida said, the Israeli intelligence expected their rockets to hit within 25 kilometers deep into Israel, "but they were surprised that they (the Grads) exceeded 40kilometers."

"These rockets proved that the Palestinian resistance owns means of deterrence to respond to the crimes by the occupation in an unprecedented way," the spokesman added.

(Xinhua News Agency May 9, 2009)