 The Fatah faction of Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas has blamed the resistance group Hamas for the deadly blast at a military parade in Gaza that killed at least 19 people and wounded 80 others. "The Fatah Central Committee holds the Hamas movement fully responsible for the victims of the military parade (that was held) among civilians," the committee said in a statement.
| ... apparently with live ammunition. Normally, when you go to a parade, they just polish up the guns and such and leave the ammunition and explosives back in garrison. |
Hamas earlier said the explosion at its rally in the northern Gaza refugee camp of Jabaliya was caused by an Israeli airstrike.
| "Yeah! I seen it, I tell yez!" |
Israel denied involvement in the blast, the first deadly incident in the territory since it completed its Gaza pullout.
| "You ain't seen nuttin'. You gotta quit drinkin' that stuff. You'll go blind!" |
Fatah's Central Committee slammed Hamas for holding a rally in the densely populated camp, where thousands watched the parade procession attended by dozens of fighters, armed with rifles and other weapons.
The massive blast on Friday ripped through the Jabaliya refugee camp as throngs of people celebrated Israel's recent withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, just hours after Israeli troops shot dead three Palestinians in the West Bank.
| "Hurrah! Hurrah! [KABOOM!]" |
Medical sources said 19 people were killed with more than 80 wounded. Among the casualties were children and resistance fighters.
| And no doubt some child resistance fighters... |
Among those hurt, 20 were in serious or critical condition, Muawiya Hassanein, head of the Palestinian emergency services in the Gaza Strip, told AFP. Palestinian security sources put the death toll at 19, but there was no immediate confirmation from medics.
"I'd put the death toll at 20. How about you, Mahmoud?"
"19. This one's still moving." |
Accusations from a Hamas spokesman that the explosion was caused by rockets fired from an Israeli drone were categorically denied by the Israeli military.
"It was a rocket! I seen it!"
"Oh, shuddup."
"Help! Help! The Zionists are oppressing me!" |
The jeep was ferrying men from the Islamist movement's armed wing to the open space earmarked for the festivities, when it exploded, sending mangled body parts of fighters, children and bystanders flying. The explosion occurred just as a main leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniya, was to address the swell of activists and supporters.
| No word on whether he's one of the 19 or 20 deaders... |
The crowd panicked and tried to escape as others tried to provide first aid before the ambulances arrived. The jeep was partially destroyed and a plume of white smoke spluttered out of its burnt, bloodied wreckage.
| I love al-Jizzle's characteristically descriptive prose... |
"There was smoke all over, and then we saw people in pieces, but we couldn't make out what really happened," said Hazem Abu Rashad, 18.
| Brilliant. No doubt it's only my extensive experience in combat that would have made me think it was an explosion right away. Or maybe he didn't hear the "boom." |
 Witnesses said many children were among the dead and wounded. Hamas said six of its fighters were among those killed, including Jihad Shaleal, the head of the military wing in Jebaliya.
| Goodbye, Jihad. Give our warmest regards to Himmler... |
The Palestinian interior ministry and witnesses said the blast appeared to have been caused by Hamas explosives inside the car. "There is absolutely no excuse to parade weapons in the streets," Palestinian National Security Adviser Jibril Rajoub said on Friday. "They (resistance groups) are merely trying to express their power and their capabilities. I would hope Palestinian society will soon be rid of all of these images."
| He means guys with guns pretending to be soldiers... |
Abu Rashad, who was just metres from the explosion, said three fighters with two homemade rockets were in the truck's bed. Three or four other fighters, who are extremely popular with children, rode inside as teenagers thronged the vehicle, he said.
"Guys! Look! Krazed killers!"
"Neat!"
"Nifty!"
"Kewl!"
"Hey, kid don't touch that... [click]... Awshit... [KABOOM!]" |
The Palestinian Interior Ministry issued a statement calling on Hamas "to shoulder its responsibility for these ... explosions instead of making accusations against others".
| "Grow the hell up, why don'tcha?" |
If an accident, the explosion would be only the latest in a string of deadly mishaps.
| Yeah, we've been following the red wire-green wire thing with a certain amount of interest for the past few years now... |
Six people were killed earlier this month in Gaza City when a Hamas weapons warehouse exploded. Hamas claimed it was an Israeli attack, but an investigation by Palestinian security officials said the blast was an accident caused by the fighters.
"Hey, Ahmed! We got an ash try in here?"
"An ash tray? For what? This is the powder magazine... awshit... [KABOOM!]" |
During an Islamic Jihad rally at the abandoned settlement of Netzarim last week, a fighter died after accidentally shooting himself in the head.
| "Hey, y'all! Watch what happens when I do this!... [BANG!]... Ow. Rosebud!" |
After the blast on Friday, seven or eight fighters stood in the back of another pickup truck as it drove through the streets of Gaza, using their feet to stop a half dozen rockets from bouncing around in the bed.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri told AFP "an Israeli drone fired several rockets at a convoy of cars participating in the parade, creating a large number of martyrs and injured. This is an abominable Israeli crime."
| "It couldn't possibly have been our own stoopidity that dunnit! It hadda be them! I know it was! I heard 'em laughin' after the explosion!" |
Speaking to Aljazeera, Hamas representative in Beirut Osama Hamdan said tens of Palestinian have seen with their own eyes the Israeli missiles falling down, and expressed dismay over the official statements issued by the Palestinian Authority which attributed the matter to an explosion resulting from "internal error" just minutes after the incident.
 Hassan Yousof, another Hamas leader, also expressed surprise as to how the Palestinian Authority rushed to adopt the Israeli version and reject the testimonies of tens of Palestinians who saw the missiles coming from the Israeli spy planes. "The Israeli missiles have targeted leaders of Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades and political leaders in Hamas," he said. A Hamas spokesman said the rockets and Qassam missiles exhibited during the military parade were actually "plastic models" as can be seen by anyone close enough or by zooming a camera on any of the missiles. Hamas leader Nizar Rayan exhibited an electric device picked from the debris which he said was proof of an Israeli missile attack.
"Hey! What is that thing?"
"It's... ummm... a thing on a wire." |
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