RTTue, 27 Aug 2019 20:22 UTC
© REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu MustafaGaza police (file photo)
At least two Palestinians were killed and several more reported injured after a motorcycle explosion in Gaza City that local media blamed on an Israeli air or drone strike.
The Gaza Interior Ministry said that two police officers were killed in an explosion near a checkpoint at the Al-Dahdouh junction, south of Gaza City.An explosion appears to have targeted a motorcycle in Tal al-Hawa, a southern part of the Gaza territory on Tuesday evening.
The two men who died were identified by the authorities as police officers Salameh Majed Nadim and Alaa Zyad Gharabli, both 32. The cause of the blast is being investigated.
Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) denied carrying out the attack.
The IDF had struck Gaza several hours earlier, saying it was retaliation for a mortar attack by Hamas.An IDF spokesman told reporters that Israel had nothing to do with the explosion, speculating it might have been a "work accident."Hamas, or the Islamic Resistance Movement, is the government in Gaza, but has been designated a terrorist organization by Israel.
Local media have blamed an Israeli airstrike or drone strike for the explosion. Initial reports said the two men killed were members of Islamic Jihad, spurring speculation of a targeted assassination. However, the group called that
"fake news," just before Gaza authorities revealed that the two men killed were police officers.
Warning: Graphic images
Comment: Sputnik provides more
details:
At Least 2 Killed as Major Explosions Hit Gaza, State of Emergency Declared - Reports
According to several conflicting reports, the explosions could have been caused by drone attacks or by an accident.
At least two security personnel were killed on Tuesday as a result of an explosion that occurred near a police checkpoint at Eldadhuah Junction in southern Gaza City, according to media reports.
Multiple reports appeared earlier in the day on social media alleging an Israeli strike targeting the Gaza strip. According to local netizens, citing eyewitnesses, at least two Palestinians were killed and one was injured in an explosion that destroyed a motorcycle in the enclave.
The Palestinian health ministry has reportedly confirmed that two Palestinians were killed and another injured in an explosion in Gaza City on Tuesday night. The cause of the blast reportedly remains unknown. Gaza security forces have launched an investigation into the incident.
A spokesperson for the Gaza Health Ministry said that a drone attacked a motorcycle on which the two victims were riding.
According to the News Israel 13 broadcaster, the IDF has denied involvement in the incident. An IDF spokesperson reportedly suggested that the cause of the explosion was a "work accident". "The army is not aware of any airstrikes in Gaza tonight", a press officer of the Israeli army said.
Hours later, two explosions reportedly occurred in the enclave allegedly targeting local police forces. According to local media, citing a spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior, the second blast targeted a police checkpoint in western Gaza. Several people were reportedly injured in the second explosion.
Local netizens have suggested that the explosions could be caused by an internal conflict.
Meanwhile, the Quds News Network media outlet reported, citing sources, that there was no third explosion in the Gaza Strip.
The Gaza Strip Interior Ministry declared at midnight an emergency situation in all the security structures in the enclave, Iyad al-Bozo, the ministry's spokesman in Gaza, told reporters.
"Another explosion at a police checkpoint on a coastal road in Gaza City, which injured several people. The interior ministry has declared an emergency situation in all security structures in the Gaza Strip", he said.
In 2007, a deadly conflict between Fatah, then dominating party in the Palestine Authority, and the Hamas Islamist movement resulted in the split of the Palestinian Authority and Hamas taking over the Gaza Strip. The West Bank is still reportedly controlled by Fatah.
Israel traditionally blames Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, for any aggressive actions from the territory of the enclave, demanding that the Islamist movement ensures observance of the ceasefire by all Palestinian factions.
For decades, Israel has been in conflict with the Palestinians who have been seeking diplomatic recognition for their independent state on the territories of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which is partially occupied by Israel, and the Gaza Strip. Clashes and frequent shelling occurs from both sides.
While Israel is well known for its endless covert violence, even their blatant and shameless chaos creation seems to have increased in recent weeks:
Israel opens new front against Lebanon, with two drones hitting Hezbollah targets in Beirut - Zionist entity now bombing 4 ME countries UPDATES
Comment: Sputnik provides more details: While Israel is well known for its endless covert violence, even their blatant and shameless chaos creation seems to have increased in recent weeks: Israel opens new front against Lebanon, with two drones hitting Hezbollah targets in Beirut - Zionist entity now bombing 4 ME countries UPDATES