Explosion of Six Vehicles of Hamas and Islamic Jihad Officials in Gaza

Six vehicles belonging to officials of the military branches of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Palestine exploded simultaneously in the Gaza Strip early Sunday morning, July 28. Although no group has claimed responsibility for these explosions yet, eyewitnesses reported seeing black flags of the 'Islamic State' (ISIS) near the targets. The explosions occurred simultaneously in several locations in the 'Sheikh Radwan' neighborhood in northern Gaza, next to the homes of officials from the military branches of Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Reports indicate that four of the exploded vehicles belonged to the 'Izz ad-Din al-Qassam' forces, the military branch of Hamas, and two vehicles belonged to 'Saraya al-Quds', the military branch of the Islamic Jihad organization. The explosions took place in the early hours of dawn while Palestinians in Gaza were continuing their celebrations for Eid al-Fitr, which began the previous Friday. Arab media reporters say that due to the holidays and low traffic, the explosions only injured two passersby and almost completely destroyed the vehicles. No reports of other casualties from these explosions have been transmitted. According to Al Jazeera, it is suggested that the perpetrators of this bombing intended to demonstrate their power to both main Palestinian armed groups active in Gaza at this stage. In recent weeks, the 'Islamic State' has threatened Hamas and other Palestinian groups as well as 'secular Fatah', stating that they will soon be ousted from power in Gaza because they have 'forgotten to implement true Sharia in Gaza'. In recent months, Hamas has arrested dozens of active Salafi forces in Gaza and has killed one of their leaders, as well as destroyed a mosque that had become a center for the activities of these groups. The attack on the officials of the military branches of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza occurred just days after Khaled Mashal, the head of Hamas's political bureau, met with King Salman of Saudi Arabia during his trip to Riyadh. According to 'Safa', the official news agency of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh recently expressed support for the Hamas delegation's trip to Saudi Arabia and their meetings with King Salman, calling it a 'successful trip'. Haniyeh added that this trip opens a new chapter in our 'historical relations' with Saudi Arabia. The two-day trip of Khaled Mashal and the Hamas delegation to Saudi Arabia ended on Saturday, July 27, amid escalating tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The Islamic Republic of Iran has not reacted to Khaled Mashal's trip to Saudi Arabia. Aladdin Boroujerdi, the head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Iranian Parliament, stated two weeks ago that Iran has been displeased with Khaled Mashal in recent years due to his policies against Syria, but 'the doors of Iran are still open to the leaders of Hamas'. In this context, a potential negotiation for a prisoner exchange for the release of two Israeli citizens in Gaza has been threatened by the arrest of six Arab citizens of Israel accused of supporting the Islamic State.