A group of masked gunmen claiming to be members of al-Qaida on Tuesday attacked an empty seaside tourist resort in Gaza City with explosive devices and automatic weapons, saying they wanted to send a warning to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Fatah legislator Muhammad Dahlan. According to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the Oasis Resort is owned by Dahlan, although its registered owner is listed as Yussef Barakeh, a resident of Bani Suheila near Khan Yunis. At least 70 percent of the resort was destroyed in the predawn attack, said Bashir Thari, the local manager. "About 40 masked gunmen participated in the attack after they overpowered the three guards." He said the attackers identified themselves as members of al-Qaida and asked him to deliver a message to Dahlan to the effect that "al-Qaida has arrived in the Gaza Strip."
The resort, the biggest tourist site in the Gaza Strip, consists of several cottages and wedding halls, as well as a hotel and restaurant. PA security officials said they did not rule out the possibility that the attackers were Hamas members. "We don't believe that al-Qaida is operating in the Gaza Strip," said one official. "This attack carries the fingerprints of Hamas."