by Khaled Abu Toameh
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip said that the explosion that killed 1 and injured 14 on Thursday took place in a warehouse used by Hamas for storing weapons.
Palestinian factions and human rights organizations have called on Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups to stop storing weapons in residential areas following another explosion, which killed one person and injured 14 others on Thursday.
They also demanded a thorough investigation into the explosion in order to hold those responsible accountable.
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip said that the explosion took place in a warehouse used by Hamas for storing weapons.
Hamas said it has launched an investigation, but has not provided any details.
Thursday’s
explosion occurred shortly after 8 a.m. in a house located in the
Al-Zawiya market area in the center of Gaza City. Palestinian sources
said that 69-year-old Atta Ahmed Saqallah died and 14 civilians were
injured, including six children.
Medical
sources at Shifa Hospital described the wounds of one of them as
critical, according to the Palestinian Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights.
The three-story house was partially destroyed, while neighboring houses
and shops were partially damaged, the center said in a statement.
According to eyewitnesses, a fire had broken out in the house before the
explosion.
“Al-Mezan
Center for Human Rights in Gaza views the explosion incident with grave
seriousness, as there have been repeated incidents of internal
explosions in houses in overcrowded residential neighborhoods for
various reasons in the past, which resulted in the killing of a number
of civilians and the destruction of homes and public and private
properties,” the statement read.
“Accordingly,
Al-Mezan reiterates its call for a comprehensive and serious
investigation into this incident and other similar events, to publish
the results of the investigation publicly, and to take the necessary
measures to ensure that it does not recur in order to preserve the lives
and property of citizens.”
The
Palestinian NGO Network, an umbrella organization comprising 133 member
organizations, also called for a “serious and transparent”
investigation into the explosion. “The Network stresses the need to
expedite the provision of all forms of assistance and support to those
affected,” the group said. “It also stresses the need to announce the
results of the investigation and to take serious measures to prevent
such explosions from happening again.”
Palestinian
writer Fadel Al-Manasfeh said it was clear that Hamas chooses popular
markets as a safe place for its ammunition warehouses because it knows
that Israel does not target such places. He said that Hamas was
“confused” by the explosion because one of its weapons warehouses had
been discovered. He also pointed out that a similar explosion took place
in an open market in the Nuseirat refugee camp last year, killing more
than 10 Palestinians and injuring dozens others.
Khaled Abu Toameh
Source: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/palestinians-accuse-hamas-of-storing-weapons-in-residential-areas-674793
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