Celebrations in Gaza get underway with a big bang

By Aussiegirl

As usual, Hamas blames Israel. What's a celebration, after all, without a few fireworks?

Jerusalem Post

The Palestinian Authority and Hamas traded accusations over the weekend following the Friday evening explosion in the Jabalya refugee camp in the Gaza Strip that killed 19 people and injured more than 120.

The blast was reportedly caused by the explosion of Kassam rockets carried in the back of a pickup truck that was taking part in a Hamas rally organized to celebrate the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. According to the PA Health Ministry, a number of senior Hamas operatives were killed in the explosion, which was apparently caused when explosives in the truck were accidentally triggered. Of the dead, at least three were children under 15. Nineteen of the wounded were also minors, the ministry said.

PA officials held Hamas responsible for the explosion, but Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip claimed that Israel was behind the explosion and vowed to resume attacks on Israeli targets.