The explosion targeted a convoy of Palestinian Prime Minister Rami al-Hamdallah and Palestinian intelligence chief Majid Faraj during a visit to the Gaza Strip, state media reported. The explosion wounded at least seven people. The Palestinian presidency blamed Hamas, which condemned the incident, saying that "this crime is an integral part of attempts to tamper with the security of the Gaza Strip."
Eyewitnesses and a Palestinian security source said Tuesday that an explosion occurred during the convoy of Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, who is visiting the Gaza Strip accompanied by the head of the Palestinian intelligence Majid Faraj, wounding seven people. A security source involved in the delegation said that al-Hamdallah and Faraj were not injured.
The Palestinian presidency blamed Hamas and the official Palestinian media reported that "the presidency holds Hamas responsible for the cowardly targeting of the prime minister's convoy." Presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said "the attack on the convoy of the Al-Wefaq government is an attack on the unity of the Palestinian people," according to WAFA news agency.
Wafa News Agency Najat al-Hamdallah and Faraj confirmed that "an assassination attempt targeted their convoy in the Beit Hanoun area of the northern Gaza Strip." Adding that "the explosion of the last two vehicles in the convoy, there were seven injuries, where the perpetrators targeted the convoy to fire after the bombing."
Hamas condemns
For its part, condemned the Islamic Resistance Movement "Hamas" blast that targeted the convoy of Palestinian Prime Minister Rami al-Hamdallah Tuesday and said that "this crime is an integral part of attempts to tamper with the security of the Gaza Strip."
"Hamas' targeting is to strike at any efforts to achieve unity and reconciliation, the same hands that assassinated the martyr Mazen Faqha, one of the leaders of the Qassam Brigades, and tried to assassinate General Tawfiq Abu Naim, director general of the Internal Security Forces" in Gaza.
"Hamas also deplores the accusations made by the Palestinian presidency of the movement, which achieve the targets of the criminals, to demand the security authorities and the Ministry of the Interior to open an immediate and urgent investigation to uncover all the circumstances of the crime and hold the perpetrators accountable and bring them to justice."
As Hamas security forces in the Gaza Strip announced the arrest of three people and the start of an investigation. He cut off his visit without meeting any Hamas official and returned to the West Bank.
