‘Work accident’: 2 killed in Gaza, Hamas hiding details

Hamas reportedly sent a message to international mediators that any targeted assassinations would lead to an all-out war.

By Baruch Yedid, TPS

Two Palestinians were killed in a “work accident” explosion at a Hamas facility in a residential area of Deir Balah in the central Gaza Strip on Thursday morning.

The Hamas-run Interior Ministry confirmed the explosion took place at a Hamas site. Palestinian media identified the dead as Ashraf Hussein and Ali a-Darah, both Hamas operatives.

Civil defense forces are on the scene, and the Tazpit Press Service has learned that Hamas is covering up the details of the case.

Gaza terror groups have raised their alert level after Israel’s Security Cabinet on Tuesday gave a green light to the Israel Defense Forces to more proactively fight Palestinian terror groups. Without elaborating, the Prime Minister’s Office announced on Tuesday that the Security Cabinet, “made a series of decisions to target terrorists and those who dispatch them and authorized the prime and defense ministers to act on the matter.”

According to Arab reports, Hamas sent a message to international mediators that any targeted assassinations would lead to an all-out war.

Israel launched a four-day military operation against Palestinian Islamic Jihad with the targeted killing of three of its senior commanders in May. Those strikes were in response to rocket fire coming from the Strip. Israel said the three commanders killed — Khalil Bahtini, Jehad Ghanam and Tareq Izzeldeen — were responsible for the launches.

Hamas did not participate in the fighting.

Tuesday’s Security Cabinet meeting came amidst the backdrop of deadly shootings in Mount Hebron and Huwara, an aerial drone flying towards Israel that was shot down over Gaza, and the launch of a rocket at a Jewish community from the area of Jenin.

Since the beginning of 2023, Palestinian terror attacks have killed 34 Israelis and one foreign national.

AssassinationGazaHamasPalestinian terror