Two explosions ripped through police checkpoints in Gaza City late Tuesday, killing three policemen and wounding two passersby, Hamas officials said.
The victims were named Alaa al-Gharbali, Salameh al-Nadim, and Wael Khalifa, all reported to be traffic police. Al-Gharbali and al-Nadim, who were both killed in the first blast, are believed to be members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza.
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Immediately after the first blast, Hamas' health ministry spokesman blamed Israel but later deleted his statement on Twitter. Some Palestinian media outlets were accusing Israel of trying to carry out a targeted killing, while others characterized the blasts as a "work accident" by a rocket firing cell. The IDF denied any involvement in the incident.
A spokesman for the Interior Ministry of Gaza, Eyad Al-Bozom, said that security forces were making progress in the pursuit of those behind the explosions, but did not disclose any further details.
"The sinful hands that carried out this crime will not escape punishment," said Bozom.
Scarcely an hour later, a second blast occurred across town on a main coastal road, killing another officer. There, bloodstains covered the road and debris from a damaged law enforcement trailer was scattered in the area. Police were deployed heavily in the area, blocking the street and directing traffic as ambulances arrived on the scene to take the body away.
But the deadly blasts are reminiscent of previous bloody rounds of infighting between Hamas and more radical Salafi groups which believe that Hamas is too lenient in imposing Islamic norms on society.
Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh stressed that Gaza can "absorb" such incidents.
"We are certain things will be controlled and all sides involved in these bombings will be held accountable," he said in a statement.
In a related development, Egyptian media outlets reported earlier Tuesday that senior intelligence officials had warned senior Hamas operatives in Cairo not to take part in any military conflict that might erupt between Israel and Iran and Hezbollah. According to the Egyptian reports, Egypt sent a similar message to leaders of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
