Direct proof of use
The M90 is documented in the 2023 Israel-Hamas War through Hamas' own public claims, open-source review of militant media, and Israeli or international reporting on rocket attacks from Gaza toward central Israel. DFRLab reported that Hamas' Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades showcased the M90 in early December 2023 and then launched about twenty-seven M90 rockets around midnight on January 1, 2024, with many visible over Tel Aviv.
The Times of Israel separately reported the January 1, 2024 barrage and wrote that al-Qassam claimed it had fired M90 rockets from Gaza. Later reporting documented renewed M90 claims: Euronews and The Times of Israel covered the August 13, 2024 two-rocket launch toward Tel Aviv; The Jerusalem Post reported a Hamas claim of an M90 fired toward Tel Aviv on August 25, 2024; and The Times of Israel reported that Hamas claimed a March 20, 2025 M90 barrage after the ceasefire collapsed.
Sources: DFRLab Palestinian Militant Videos, Times of Israel New Year Barrage, Euronews Tel Aviv Two Rockets, Times of Israel Aug. 13 Liveblog, Jerusalem Post Rishon LeZion Alert, Times of Israel March 2025 Rockets
Timeline
On December 8, 2023, Al Mayadeen reported that al-Qassam released footage of an LM-90 multiple rocket launcher and M-90 rockets, describing an eight-slot launcher and a stated 90 km range. DFRLab later characterized the release as an early December showcase of the M90, the largest rocket in the al-Qassam arsenal that the group presented as domestically produced.
The first strongly documented operational episode in the record is the January 1, 2024 New Year barrage. The Times of Israel reported at least twenty-seven rockets fired at southern and central Israel, with Hamas claiming M90 use and Israeli air defenses intercepting some rockets while others fell in open areas.
M90 claims continued after the initial phase of Gaza fighting. On August 13, 2024, Hamas said it launched two M90 rockets at Tel Aviv and its suburbs; Israeli military reporting cited by Euronews said one landed in the sea off central Israel and the other failed to enter Israeli territory. The Times of Israel liveblog added that Hamas footage showed makeshift launchers. On August 25, The Jerusalem Post reported a Hamas claim of an M90 fired toward Tel Aviv after sirens sounded in Rishon LeZion.
After the January 2025 ceasefire collapsed, The Times of Israel reported that three long-range rockets were launched from southern Gaza at Tel Aviv on March 20, 2025, with one intercepted and two landing in open areas. The same report said al-Qassam claimed it had targeted Tel Aviv with a barrage of M90 rockets.
Sources: Al Mayadeen M-90 Unveiling, DFRLab Palestinian Militant Videos, Times of Israel New Year Barrage, Euronews Tel Aviv Two Rockets, Times of Israel Aug. 13 Liveblog, Jerusalem Post Rishon LeZion Alert, Times of Israel March 2025 Rockets
Role in the conflict
The M90 appears in the conflict record as an unguided long-range rocket used by Hamas and Gaza-based armed groups for area attacks toward central Israel, especially Tel Aviv and nearby cities. The available public sources support launch claims and Israeli-reported flight outcomes, but they do not establish precision targeting or independent battle-damage effects for the M90 beyond sirens, interceptions, open-area impacts, sea impacts, shrapnel reports, and the absence of reported major casualties in the cited episodes.
Technical context is consistent with that role. METIS describes the M90 as a Gaza-produced, nose-fuzed high-explosive fragmentation artillery rocket made for Hamas' al-Qassam Brigades, with a reported 90 km range. That range aligns with the source-backed launch pattern from Gaza toward central Israel.
Sources: METIS M90 High Explosive Rocket, Times of Israel New Year Barrage, Euronews Tel Aviv Two Rockets, Jerusalem Post Rishon LeZion Alert, Times of Israel March 2025 Rockets
