JABALIYA — An explosion struck the convoy of the Palestinian prime ministerTuesday as he was making a rare visit to Gaza, in what his Fatah partycalled an assassination attempt it blamed on Gaza militants.
The explosion went off shortly after the convoy entered Gaza through theErez crossing with Israel. Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah wasunharmed and went on to inaugurate a long-awaited sewage plant project inthe northern part of the strip. But Fatah quickly held Gaza’s Islamic Hamasrulers responsible for the “cowardly attack” on the convoy, furtherescalating tensions between the bitter rival factions.
Three of the vehicles in Hamdallah’s convoy were damaged, their windowsblown out. One had signs of blood on the door.
Hamas confirmed an explosion struck the convoy but said no injuries werereported. It condemned the Gaza explosion, calling it a crime and anattempt to “hurt efforts to achieve unity and reconciliation.” It promisedan “urgent” investigation.
While President Mahmoud Abbas blamed Hamas for the blast, his securitychief Majed Farraj, who was in the convoy, said it was “too early” to saywho was responsible.
Hamdallah, who is based in the West Bank, arrived in Hamas-run Gaza toinaugurate the sewage plant and said there that the attack will “not deterfrom seeking to end the bitter split. We will still come to Gaza.”
The rival factions have been trying to reconcile since 2007 when Hamasseized control of Gaza from Fatah forces and have suffered several setbacksin their efforts since. The takeover left the Palestinians with two rivalgovernments, Hamas in Gaza and the Western-backed Palestinian Authoritygoverning autonomous enclaves in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. -Agencies