Hamas: Senior PA officials behind recent spate of bombings in Gaza

Hamas says adviser to Abbas, PA security officials behind efforts to spark chaos in the Strip.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
Niña palestina celebra el aniversario número 27 de Hamás(Credito: REUTERS) (photo credit: REUTERS)
Niña palestina celebra el aniversario número 27 de Hamás(Credito: REUTERS)
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Hamas on Wednesday accused the Palestinian Authority of being behind the recent spate of bombings in the Gaza Strip.
Eyad al-Bazm, spokesman for the Hamas-controlled Interior Ministry, said Hamas had thwarted an attempt to detonate a car bomb in the Shejaia neighborhood of eastern Gaza City.
He said that the man who tried to detonate the booby-trapped car had received instructions from Gen. Sami Nisman, a senior PA security official, and Mahmoud Habbash, an adviser to PA President Mahmoud Abbas.
The spokesman identified the suspect who attempted to carry out the car bomb attack as Naim Abu Ful.
According to the Hamas spokesman, Abu Ful, who lives in Gaza City, confessed during interrogation that Habbash had asked him to carry out several bombing attacks.
Bazm accused PA officials of “directly and indirectly exploiting some young Palestinians” to carry out attacks in order to stir unrest and anarchy in the Gaza Strip. The Hamas security forces have arrested a number of “outlaws” who tried to carry out bombing attacks, he added.
“We call on the prime minister [Rami Hamdallah] to declare a clear and honest position toward the sabotage actions in the Gaza Strip. We are prepared to hand over to him the details of the investigations,” he said Bazm stressed that Hamas will not allow a return to anarchy and lawlessness and will continue to work toward foiling such attempts. The PA was using various websites to “influence” Palestinian youths, the Hamas spokesman claimed.
The Hamas leadership issued a statement in which it called for punishing the PA officials responsible for the attacks. The statement called for an end to “incitement, extortion and security coordination” with Israel.
PA officials in Ramallah did not comment on the Hamas charges.