Hamdallah bomb was professionally made, says PA

The roadside bomb that struck Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah and General Intelligence Services chief Majid Faraj’s motorcade on Tuesday in the Gaza Strip was professionally made, Deputy Interior Minister Muhammad Mansour said on Wednesday.

On Tuesday morning, a roadside bomb exploded adjacent to Hamdallah and Faraj’s motorcade in Beit Hanun in northern Gaza, injuring seven members of their staffs and damaging several cars.

“The explosion was precisely planned and carried out, which means that it was not done by individuals but rather professionals,” Mansour, who was in Hamdallah and Faraj’s motorcade, told official PA radio.

PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s office said on Wednesday that Hamas bears responsibility for the bombing. However, Faraj, who is also a close adviser of Abbas, said that “it is too early to accuse anyone,” but added that Hamas is responsible for securing the lands it controls.

Meanwhile, some Hamas officials suggested on Wednesday that Israel carried out the bombing, while other Hamas leaders insinuated the PA did it.

Mansour also insinuated that the bombing was meant to strike Faraj and Hamdallah’s bodies.

“The explosion of the IED caused damages to three cars including an armored car in which the criminals thought the prime minister and intelligence chief were inside,” he said.

The specific cars transporting Hamdallah and Faraj were not significantly impacted by the bombing.

On Wednesday, some analysts speculated that the bombing was not meant to kill Hamdallah and Faraj, but rather intimidate them.

Mansour also said that Tawfiq Abu Naim, the head of the Hamas-run Interior Ministry in Gaza, sent an update to Hamdallah on the investigation into the bombing.

He said that Abu Naim’s update says that two 15-kg. improvised explosive devices were planted 37 meters apart along the road in Beit Hanun, but only one of them blew up.