The Gaza Strip's Hamas rulers have shut the offices of a Qatari-Palestinian mobile network provider in connection with their investigation into an explosion that targeted visiting Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah last Tuesday.
Hamas police spokesman Ayman Batniji said Saturday that Wataniya Mobile was being closed down for "refusing to cooperate" in the inquiry. Wataniya, one of two mobile network operators in the Palestinian Authority, is a subsidiary of Doha-based international telecommunications company Ooredoo.
The roadside bomb, which struck Hamdallah's convoy after it crossed into Gaza from Israel, wounded some of his bodyguards. Local reports said a second bomb, which failed to detonate, contained a Wataniya SIM card.
The Palestinian Authority held Hamas responsible for the attack. Hamas, which overthrew PA forces in 2007 to seize control of Gaza, rejected the accusation and appears to be looking to shift the blame to others.
