Hamas, Fatah tensions rise after blast hit Palestinian PM convoy

CAIRO – 13 March 2018: Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamadallah survived an explosion that targeted his convoy upon entrance to the qGaza Strip on Tuesday.

Fatah, one of the main political factions in Palestine, blamed Hamas over the explosion, according to Fatah’s Spokesperson Osama el-Qawasmy, who said that “Hamas is fully responsible for the cowardly attack that targets the nation, reconciliation and unity.”

For Hamas, the party said that its security forces are investigating the incident.

Earlier on Tuesday, the convoy of Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah was reportedly targeted by an explosion after he entered the Gaza Strip, where he participated in the inauguration of a water purification plant.

The blast took place at Salah el-Din Street, northern Gaza Strip, and left seven people injured, according to Reuters.

Later, Reuters reported that Prime Minister Hamadallah cut his visit to the rest of the strip following the inauguration of the water plant. He left Gaza under intensive security measures, according to a border official who was quoted by Reuters.

The official said that Rami Hamadallah crossed Erez Crossing towards the Western Bank shortly after a quick visit to the water plant, without meeting any official of Hamas.

Erez Crossing is a border crossing on the Israel–Gaza barrier at the northern end of the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas cut his official visit to Jordan and will return to Ramallah Tuesday to follow up on the updates of the assassination attempt of the prime minister, according to Senior Fatah official Azzam al-Ahmad.



Palestinian factions kick off reconciliation talks Tuesday in Cairo - Egypt Today


Last year, the two main Palestinian factions, Hamas and Fatah, signed an Egypt-brokered reconciliation deal in Cairo, in a key step towards ending a decade-long rift between the two movements. The regionally-hailed reconciliation stipulated that the Palestinian government headed by Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah to fully assume Gaza responsibilities.