First you attack Israel, THEN you determine it was your own explosives...


Blast flattens house of Hamas commander, killing 7

By IBRAHIM BARZAK, Associated Press Writer
29 minutes ago



BEIT LAHIYA, Gaza Strip - A blast flattened the house of a militant commander in the Gaza Strip Thursday, killing seven people and wounding 40, Palestinian officials said.

Israel, which routinely accepts responsibility for attacks on military targets, denied involvement, and Hamas opened an investigation, an indication the militant Islamic rulers of Gaza believe the explosion might have been caused by accidental detonation of explosives in the house.

Earlier, Hamas blamed Israel and unleashed a barrage of rockets and mortars at Israel's south.

The spiraling violence threatened to undermine last-ditch efforts to secure a truce between Israel and Hamas and stave off an Israeli invasion of Gaza.

Ambulances rushed to the scene and residents of nearby homes brought shovels and bulldozers to help dig people out of the rubble. Three people covered in blood were carried out on stretchers and hurried into ambulances that sped them to the local hospital.

Hamas released a statement saying seven people were killed, including a baby, a senior aide to the Hamas interior minister and a Hamas militant who later died of his wounds. Several bodies were pulled from the rubble. In all, Hamas said, five of the dead were militants. The Hamas commander, Ahmed Hamouda, was not home at the time of the explosion.

Cars parked nearby were destroyed and covered with dust, and windows of neighboring houses and shops were shattered by the impact of the blast. Electricians were on the scene trying to disable live wires in the house, which had been reduced to a pile of debris.

Hamas security officials pushed back a screaming mob of hundreds to keep them from disrupting the rescue efforts.

"It was a huge explosion," said Majid Abu Samra, a local resident. "The house was destroyed, and there are people still buried under the rubble. I evacuated two women who were covered in dust and blood."

Maj. Avital Leibovich, an Israeli army spokeswoman, said the military was not operating in the area at the time. "We deny any connection to this incident," she said.

Announcing the investigation, Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida said results would be made public. The statement was taken as a Hamas acknowledgment that the blast was probably accidental, not an Israeli attack. Dozens of militants have been killed while handing explosives in recent years.

Shortly after the explosion, Hamas said it fired a barrage of mortar shells and rockets toward southern Israel. Israel's national rescue service said a 59-year-old woman was moderately wounded when a rocket struck a home on an Israeli communal farm. Palestinian officials said Israeli tanks fired on the launching area used by Hamas.