Gaza car blasts target armed wings of Hamas, Islamic Jihad

GAZA CITY: A series of near-simultaneous explosions in the Gaza Strip on Sunday targeted members of the armed branches of Hamas and Islamic Jihad amid growing tensions between the Palestinian territory’s rulers and extremist opponents.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blasts that rocked an area in the north of Gaza City and destroyed five cars belonging to members of the Al-Qassam and Al-Quds brigades, the armed wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
There were no reports of serious injuries.
Witnesses said the explosions that went off at around 6:30 a.m. appeared to have been caused by bombs placed underneath the cars parked in front of their owners’ homes.
Three of the cars were said to have belonged to members of Al-Qassam and two to members of Al-Quds.
According to witnesses, the explosions occurred within an interval of 15 minutes.
Police working under Hamas did not say who they believed was responsible, but vowed action against the culprits.
“This morning, saboteurs exploded several cars of (members of) resistance movements in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, causing material damage,” Hamas police said in a statement.
“Security forces have opened an investigation and are searching for those responsible. We assure that the criminals will not escape punishment.”
The explosions appeared to be intended as a warning rather than an attempt to inflict casualties given the early hour, as has occurred with previous incidents.