Explosion in Hamas commander's house

Gazans tiring of being human shields?

On Monday, an explosion in the home of a senior Hamas commander destroyed eight homes, damaged 30 more, and wounded more than 50 people. The home, in the Dir el-Balach 'refugee camp,' was being used to manufacture weapons. Local residents knew about the home-based weapons factory and had begged that it be removed.
A fair number of camp residents actually complained to the Media Line about this incident.

“Usually when such explosions occur the armed groups in Gaza announce it’s Israel’s fault,” Hamdi Shaqqura, deputy director for program affairs at the Gaza-based Palestinian Center for Human Rights, told The Media Line.

“But our investigations often find that this is not the case.”

Shaqqura said armed groups try to hide the existence of bombs in residential areas, because local residents “would not agree to live on a barrel of explosives.”

The rights group sent a team of field researchers and attorneys to collect testimony from victims and eyewitnesses following the explosion. Witnesses told the rights group they saw a red glow emanating from the house before the explosion.

Isma’il Younis, 12, a neighbor, told The Media Line he was home watching TV when a red ray appeared, followed by a huge boom that rocked the house, cutting electricity and sending plumes of smoke into the air.

Another neighbor added that the moment of the explosion felt like an earthquake, and she was unable to see her children due to the density of smoke and dust.

Early in the morning following the blast, eyewitnesses in Deir el-Balah told The Media Line, six Hamas minivans arrived to collect debris from the site. Witnesses also told the Palestinian Center for Human Rights that they saw Hamas activists surround the house in question and collect shrapnel and bombs, removing any evidence of weapons.

The rights group concluded that the explosion ignited within the house and occurred “for no apparent reason, similar to some incidents in the past.”

The group speculated that the explosion was caused by faulty manufacturing or bad storage of bombs.

But Hamas could care less about their own people, and are more than happy to endanger them. I'm sure that there are many who would like to leave. If western countries could be found who would take them, maybe the next war we can help Gazans leave instead of having them wander around from place to place in Gaza.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem