Wednesday, June 01, 2011

1-Jun-11: 'Mysterious' blast in Gaza

One of many PRC moments in the media [Source
From a Khaled Abu Toameh report in today's Jerusalem Post:
Three Palestinian gunmen were killed on Tuesday in a mysterious explosion in a military training base near Rafah in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian security sources in Gaza said. The sources said that the explosion occurred inside a training base belonging to the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, an alliance of armed groups in the Gaza Strip... Local journalists said that several other people were wounded in the blast, which also caused huge damage. Hamas policemen sealed off the area and launched an investigation.
Popular Resistance Committees' work is defined in a Wikipedia entry as specialized "in planting roadside bombs and vehicle explosive charges - directed against military and civilian convoys in the Gaza Strip". One of those 'military and civilian convoys' was a sole vehicle driven by an unarmed and pregnant Jewish woman, Tali Hatuel, and carrying her four daughters aged 2 to 11. PRC took credit for the attack on this convoy on May 2, 2004 in which all the occupants of the family car were murdered.

The organization is defined here as
a kind of Hamas sub-contractor, carrying out attention-getting attacks against Israel. Handling the PRC behind the scenes enables Hamas to encourage terrorist attacks against Israel while outwardly maintaining its policy of restraint and coping with the political exigencies resulting from the composition of its government. Hamas provides the PRC with extensive operational support, including monthly funding, and providing arms, training and operational instructions.
It has been at the center of agitation within Palestinian Arab circles at various times, having attacked and kidnapped a number of public figures including police commander Razi Jebali (July 2004). It kidnapped and murdered Mousa Arafat, the head of PA Military Intelligence and cousin of Yassir; and made troublesome allegations against Palestinian Minister for Internal Security Nasir Yusuf, politician Muhammed Dahlan and other high-profile figures. They have their enemies. Still, five years ago,  the head of the PRC, Jamal Abu Samhadana, was appointed to be in charge of building the Hamas-Palestinian army under the supervision of the Hamas Interior Ministry.

Not so surprising then that Hamas, like any concerned investor, would want to have an investigation.

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