Islamists bomb Gaza resort over mixed gender event

Citing the Islamic prohibition on unrelated members of the opposite sex mingling, a hardline Salafist group warned the hotel’s owner not to hold the event.

By World Israel News Staff

Islamist terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip bombed a seaside resort in the coastal enclave last Thursday, after the newly-opened hotel reportedly held a concert in which men and women were not segregated by gender.

Citing the Islamic prohibition on unrelated members of the opposite sex mingling, a hardline Salafist group warned the hotel’s owner not to hold the event on Wednesday, The Jerusalem Post reported.

“Today we went to Bianco Resort in order to denounce the evil before it happens, as this resort will hold a mixed singing party tomorrow on the beach of Beit Lahiya,” wrote Issa Miqda, one of the men associated with the terror group, on Facebook.

“Therefore, we ask the [Hamas] government to stop this evil before it happens. I call on all preachers and sheikhs to publicly denounce this evil after the owner refused our request not to hold the party.”

Suhail al-Saqqa, the proprietor, said he’d received a permit from Hamas granting him permission to hold the event and refused to cancel it.

The next day, an explosive device was detonated near the hotel. While no casualties were reported, the explosion caused extensive damage to a wall surrounding the resort.

Palestinian groups including the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) and the Palestinian People’s Party (PPP) condemned the attack.

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) said that Hamas must find and punish the perpetrators of the attack.

“PCHR points out that this resort is a modern and private investment project that opened in the middle of last month and was built on an area of 12 dunams, employing about 120 workers, and it has been very popular since its inauguration,” the NGO said in a statement.

“We stress the importance of supporting such projects, which contribute to supporting domestic tourism, upgrading the Palestinian economy, creating job opportunities for young people and mitigating the effects of the siege [on the Gaza Strip].”