Hamas said Wednesday that two overnight bomb attacks killed three police officers in the Gaza Strip as the Palestinian enclave was placed under a state of alert

Gaza City, Palestinian Territories, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Aug, 2019 ) :Hamas said Wednesday that two overnight bomb attacks killed three police officers in the Gaza Strip as the Palestinian enclave was placed under a state of alert.

Witnesses told AFP that both bombings were suicide attacks by assailants on motorbikes, but there was no official confirmation.

A source familiar with the investigation said a Salafist movement in Gaza that sympathises with Islamic State group jihadists was suspected.

Hamas's interior ministry confirmed the three deaths, but spoke only of two "bombings" in Gaza City without providing details.

It had earlier said two officers died in "two explosions targeting police checkpoints" late Tuesday night, before revising the toll to three.

Suicide bombings are rare in the Gaza Strip. </s> Image copyright Reuters Image caption Hamas said security forces were pursuing those behind the bombings

Hamas is arresting suspected jihadist activists in Gaza, which the militant Islamist movement controls, after what a security source said were suicide bomb attacks on two police posts.

Three police officers were killed in the attacks, which are thought to have been carried out by extremists with links to the Islamic State (IS) group.

Gaza's interior ministry declared a state of emergency after the bombings.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniya vowed to hold those responsible to account.

The bombings would "not be able to undermine the stability and steadfastness of our people", he added.

Image copyright AFP Image caption Hamas security forces deployed hundreds of personnel on main roads across Gaza

According to reports from Gaza, two police officers were killed in Tuesday night's first attack, in which a motorcycle exploded as it approached a checkpoint.

A second, similar, attack less than an hour later killed another police officer.

Israeli military sources immediately denied that they had launched any operations in Gaza and suspicion fell on Salafist jihadist factions, who have periodically challenged Hamas' authority in the Palestinian territory.

Image copyright AFP Image caption A state of emergency was declared following the bombings

Hamas recently released several prisoners from detention, as a gesture of goodwill, including some members of militant groups affiliated with IS.

The BBC understands that at least one of the suspected bombers had been previously detained and was one of those recently released.

The BBC's Wyre Davies in Jerusalem says these rare attacks are embarrassing for Hamas and could be interpreted as a renewed effort by Salafist jihadists to confront the group. </s> GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Thousands of Palestinians are taking part in funerals of three Hamas policemen killed in rare bombings at Gaza City checkpoints the previous night.

Hamas's Interior Ministry said on Wednesday that investigations were ongoing, but an officer close to the probe said a suicide bomber was involved in one of the blasts that had targeted two checkpoints.

Hamas' security service was investigating whether the other also involved a suicide bomber. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk to reporters.

The militant Hamas group hasn't identified possible perpetrators, but the bombings bear the hallmarks of extremists influenced by the Islamic State group.

Hamas, which has run Gaza since 2007, has fought several rounds of bloody fighting with radical Salafists. However, these were the first coordinated bombings at Hamas-run checkpoints.

Mourners chant angry slogans as they carry the body of Palestinian Hamas police officer, Wael Khalifa, 45, in the family home, during his funeral in the Buriej refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019. Khalifa and two other Hamas police officers were killed in explosions that ripped through police checkpoints in Gaza City overnight, Hamas' interior ministry said. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Members of the Hamas police force carry the body of Palestinian Hamas police officer, Wael Khalifa, 45, during his funeral in the Buriej refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019. Khalifa and two other Hamas police officers were killed in explosions that ripped through police checkpoints in Gaza City overnight, Hamas' interior ministry said. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Relatives mourn the death of Palestinian Hamas police officer, Wael Khalifa, 45, in the family home, during his funeral in the Buriej refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019. Khalifa and two other Hamas police officers were killed in explosions that ripped through police checkpoints in Gaza City overnight, Hamas' interior ministry said. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Relatives mourn over the body of Palestinian Hamas police officer, Wael Khalifa, 45, in the family home, during his funeral in the Buriej refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019. Khalifa and two other Hamas police officers were killed in explosions that ripped through police checkpoints in Gaza City overnight, Hamas' interior ministry said. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra) </s> Hamas said Wednesday that two overnight bomb attacks killed three police officers in the Gaza Strip as the Palestinian enclave was placed under a state of alert.

Witnesses told AFP that both bombings were suicide attacks by assailants on motorbikes, but there was no official confirmation.

A source familiar with the investigation said a Salafist movement in Gaza that sympathises with Islamic State group jihadists was suspected.

Hamas's interior ministry confirmed the three deaths, but spoke only of two "bombings" in Gaza City without providing details.

It had earlier said two officers died in "two explosions targeting police checkpoints" late Tuesday night, before revising the toll to three.

Suicide bombings are rare in the Gaza Strip.

In August 2017, a suicide bomber killed a Hamas guard in southern Gaza on the border with Egypt.

Hamas, itself an Islamist movement, has run the Gaza Strip since 2007 but has been regularly criticised by more radical Salafist groups in the impoverished, Israeli-blockaded coastal territory. </s> Hamas said Wednesday that two overnight bombings killed three police officers in the Gaza Strip in what witnesses called suicide attacks as the Palestinian enclave was placed under a state of alert.

Witnesses told AFP that both bombings were suicide attacks by assailants on motorbikes, but there was no official confirmation.

A source familiar with the investigation said a Salafist movement in Gaza that sympathises with the Islamic State group was suspected.

Hamas's interior ministry confirmed the three deaths, but spoke only of two "bombings" in Gaza City without providing details.

It said two of the police officers were 32 and the third was 45. Two separate police checkpoints were targeted, it said.

An investigation was underway as authorities pledged to track down the "masterminds."

Hamas leader Ismail Haniya sought to reassure Palestinians in the enclave of two million people.

"We assure our people that whatever these explosions are, they will be brought under control as with every previous event, and will not be able to undermine the stability and steadfastness of our people," he said in a statement.

Suicide bombings are rare in the Gaza Strip.

In August 2017, a suicide bomber killed a Hamas guard in southern Gaza on the border with Egypt.

Hamas, itself an Islamist movement, has run the Gaza Strip since 2007 but has been regularly criticised by more radical Salafist groups in the impoverished, Israeli-blockaded coastal territory.

The Israeli military said it had not carried out any air raids overnight.

The bombings come at a sensitive time.

Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008 and tensions have again risen between the two sides in recent weeks ahead of Israel's September 17 elections.

Israel's military on Tuesday bombed a Hamas military post after militants in the strip fired a mortar round across the border, the latest in a string of such incidents this month.

On Monday, Israel had launched air strikes against Hamas in response to rocket fire, while it also halved fuel deliveries to the enclave.

The punitive reduction in the flow of fuel to the strip's main power station means a cut in Gaza's already rationed electricity supply.

The incidents have threatened a fragile truce that had cooled several severe flare-ups between Hamas and Israel in recent months.

Brokered by UN and Egyptian officials, the ceasefire also involves aid to the Gaza Strip from Qatar.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is widely seen as wanting to avoid an escalation in Gaza before the polls due to the political risk involved, but he has faced calls for strong action from his electoral opponents.

As a result, there has been speculation in Israel that Hamas has turned a blind eye to recent rocket fire and infiltration attempts instead of preventing them in a bid to pressure Netanyahu into further concessions.

Hamas has not claimed responsibility for the recent cross-border incidents. Other militant groups, most prominently Islamic Jihad, also operate in the Gaza Strip. </s> Hamas said Wednesday that two overnight bombings killed three police officers in the Gaza Strip in what witnesses called suicide attacks as the Palestinian enclave was placed under a state of alert.

Witnesses told AFP that both bombings were suicide attacks by assailants on motorbikes, but there was no official confirmation.

A source familiar with the investigation said a Salafist movement in Gaza that sympathises with the Islamic State group was suspected.

Hamas’s interior ministry confirmed the three deaths, but spoke only of two “bombings” in Gaza City without providing details.

It said two of the police officers were 32 and the third was 45. Two separate police checkpoints were targeted, it said.

An investigation was underway as authorities pledged to track down the “masterminds.”

Hamas leader Ismail Haniya sought to reassure Palestinians in the enclave of two million people.

“We assure our people that whatever these explosions are, they will be brought under control as with every previous event, and will not be able to undermine the stability and steadfastness of our people,” he said in a statement.

Suicide bombings are rare in the Gaza Strip.

In August 2017, a suicide bomber killed a Hamas guard in southern Gaza on the border with Egypt.

Hamas, itself an Islamist movement, has run the Gaza Strip since 2007 but has been regularly criticised by more radical Salafist groups in the impoverished, Israeli-blockaded coastal territory.

The Israeli military said it had not carried out any air raids overnight.

The bombings come at a sensitive time.

Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008 and tensions have again risen between the two sides in recent weeks ahead of Israel’s September 17 elections.

Israel’s military on Tuesday bombed a Hamas military post after militants in the strip fired a mortar round across the border, the latest in a string of such incidents this month.

On Monday, Israel had launched air strikes against Hamas in response to rocket fire, while it also halved fuel deliveries to the enclave.

The punitive reduction in the flow of fuel to the strip’s main power station means a cut in Gaza’s already rationed electricity supply.

The incidents have threatened a fragile truce that had cooled several severe flare-ups between Hamas and Israel in recent months.

Brokered by UN and Egyptian officials, the ceasefire also involves aid to the Gaza Strip from Qatar.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is widely seen as wanting to avoid an escalation in Gaza before the polls due to the political risk involved, but he has faced calls for strong action from his electoral opponents.

As a result, there has been speculation in Israel that Hamas has turned a blind eye to recent rocket fire and infiltration attempts instead of preventing them in a bid to pressure Netanyahu into further concessions.

Hamas has not claimed responsibility for the recent cross-border incidents. Other militant groups, most prominently Islamic Jihad, also operate in the Gaza Strip. </s> GAZA CITY (AFP) - Hamas said on Wednesday (Aug 28) that two overnight bombings killed three police officers in the Gaza Strip in what witnesses called suicide attacks as the Palestinian enclave was placed under a state of alert.

Witnesses told AFP that both bombings were suicide attacks by assailants on motorbikes, but there was no official confirmation.

A source familiar with the investigation said a Salafist movement in Gaza that sympathises with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group was suspected.

Hamas's interior ministry confirmed the three deaths, but spoke only of two "bombings" in Gaza City without providing details.

It said two of the police officers were 32 and the third was 45. Two separate police checkpoints were targeted, it said.

An investigation was under way as the authorities pledged to track down the "masterminds". Hamas leader Ismail Haniya sought to reassure Palestinians in the enclave of two million people.

"We assure our people that whatever these explosions are, they will be brought under control as with every previous event, and will not be able to undermine the stability and steadfastness of our people," he said in a statement.

Suicide bombings are rare in the Gaza Strip.

In August 2017, a suicide bomber killed a Hamas guard in southern Gaza on the border with Egypt.

Hamas, itself an Islamist movement, has run the Gaza Strip since 2007 but has been regularly criticised by more radical Salafist groups in the impoverished, Israeli-blockaded coastal territory.

The Israeli military said it had not carried out any air raids overnight.

The bombings come at a sensitive time.

Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008 and tensions have again risen between the two sides in recent weeks ahead of Israel's Sept 17 elections.

Israel's military on Tuesday bombed a Hamas military post after militants in the strip fired a mortar round across the border, the latest in a string of such incidents this month.

On Monday, Israel had launched air strikes against Hamas in response to rocket fire, while it also halved fuel deliveries to the enclave.

The punitive reduction in the flow of fuel to the strip's main power station means a cut in Gaza's already rationed electricity supply.

The incidents have threatened a fragile truce that had cooled several severe flare-ups between Hamas and Israel in recent months.

Brokered by UN and Egyptian officials, the ceasefire also involves aid to the Gaza Strip from Qatar.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is widely seen as wanting to avoid an escalation in Gaza before the polls due to the political risk involved, but he has faced calls for strong action from his electoral opponents.

As a result, there has been speculation in Israel that Hamas has turned a blind eye to recent rocket fire and infiltration attempts instead of preventing them in a bid to pressure Netanyahu into further concessions.

Hamas has not claimed responsibility for the recent cross-border incidents. Other militant groups, most prominently Islamic Jihad, also operate in the Gaza Strip. </s> A suicide bomber killed two people in Egypt's restive North Sinai region on Thursday, a day after four headless bodies were found there.

The victims of the bombing were a civilian and a member of the security forces, security and medical sources said.

The bomber was shot before he reached a military checkpoint, his intended target, but his explosive belt detonated and killed the soldier and civilian, an Egyptian military spokesman said in a statement.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) armed group claimed responsibility for the attack via its Amaq website, saying five members of the security forces were killed or wounded.

Multiple armed groups, some linked to ISIL, are active in the Sinai Peninsula and Egypt's army launched a major operation there in February last year.

Thursday's bombing took place at a car park in the town of Sheikh Zuweid, near the border with the Gaza Strip.

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Separately, two security sources said four headless bodies were found in an empty street in the North Sinai town of Bir al-Abd on Wednesday. Their families reported that the four men, aged 23 to 51, had been kidnapped.

Fighters stopped several cars before taking five people away and forcing them to lie down on the ground, a security source and three residents said. They killed four and kidnapped the fifth.

ISIL claimed responsibility for the beheadings, saying the four were spies for the Egyptian military. Security services were hunting down the perpetrators.

Egypt's State Information Service could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Egyptian military, which launched its campaign in Sinai after an attack in November 2017 on a mosque in which hundreds of worshippers died, says hundreds of fighters have been killed. </s> The Western Journal has not reviewed this Associated Press story prior to publication. Therefore, it may contain editorial bias or may in some other way not meet our normal editorial standards. It is provided to our readers as a service from The Western Journal.

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Israel arrested dozens of Hamas activists in the West Bank, and a Palestinian was killed in clashes with troops, as the Israeli military pressed ahead on Friday with a crackdown following a pair of deadly shootings blamed on Hamas militants.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said that Mahmoud Nakhla, 18, was shot in the abdomen and died at medical center in Ramallah, as Israeli soldiers clashed with dozens of Palestinians throwing rocks.

Earlier Friday, Israeli forces arrested dozens of Hamas activists in the West Bank as the army intensified a crackdown a day after Palestinian assailants killed two soldiers in an attack on a bus stop.

In a fresh wave of violence, an Israeli soldier was severely wounded by a Palestinian assailant who attacked him with a rock, while Israeli soldiers clashed with Palestinian demonstrators outside Ramallah, the military said.

Elsewhere in the West Bank, Jewish settlers beat up a Palestinian bus driver, the man’s family said, while Palestinian Authority forces violently broke up a demonstration by supporters of the rival Hamas movement.

Friday’s unrest came a day after a Palestinian gunman opened fire at a West Bank bus stop, killing two soldiers before speeding away in a vehicle. Israel responded by setting up checkpoints, closing roads and beefing up security in a broad manhunt for the assailant. Earlier in the week, another Palestinian gunman carried out a similar drive-by shooting outside a nearby settlement, wounding seven people, including a pregnant woman whose baby later died after being delivered prematurely.

A Hamas official said some 100 members of the group, including lawmakers and other senior figures, were arrested this week, including 70 arrested overnight and throughout the day on Friday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing arrest by Israel. The Israeli military confirmed the overnight arrests.

As Israel was burying the soldiers killed in Thursday’s shooting, another soldier was severely wounded near a West Bank settlement after a Palestinian struck him in the head with a rock, knocking him unconscious, the military said. The army said it appeared the soldier was also stabbed. It said Israeli forces were searching for the suspect.

Elsewhere in the West Bank, a group of Israelis beat up a Palestinian bus driver, Nidal Sake, near a West Bank settlement late Thursday, Israeli police said.

Thaer Sake, the bus driver’s brother, said that a group of Jewish teenagers blocked the bus with their car and forced themselves on board, striking the driver several times before fleeing, according to his brother’s account. He said his Nidal remained hospitalized Friday with severe bruises and a broken eye socket. Police said they were investigating and trying to find the perpetrators.

On Friday afternoon, street clashes erupted between Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli forces outside Ramallah, with protesters slinging rocks and Israeli soldiers responding with tear gas and stun grenades to break up the crowd. The Palestinian Healthy Ministry said two protesters were wounded by bullets, one critically.

The tensions also spilled over into internal Palestinian fighting in the volatile West Bank city of Hebron, where some 50 activists waving Hamas flags in celebration of the militant group’s 31st anniversary confronted Palestinian Authority forces and blocked traffic following Muslim noon prayers. An Associated Press cameraman saw Palestinian police harshly beat Hamas activists with clubs, injuring five and arresting 15.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement and the Islamic Hamas are fierce rivals. Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip from Abbas’ forces in 2007 after winning legislative elections the previous year, and attempts to reconcile have repeatedly failed.

Friday’s unrest capped a deadly week that claimed seven lives, including the Israeli newborn, a 60-year-old Palestinian businessman and three Palestinian assailants, two of them members of the Islamic militant Hamas group.

The latest shootings prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to boost troop levels in the West Bank, order detentions of Hamas activists and call for demolishing the homes of assailants within 48 hours.

Amid the tense manhunt, Israeli forces encircled Ramallah, the Palestinians’ typically quiet center of government and commerce. To prevent what it called “copycat attacks,” the army set up checkpoints, searched cars and blocked roads in an unusual show of force that reflected the severity with which Israel views the shootings.

“Our guiding principle is that whoever attacks us and whoever tries to attack us will pay with his life,” Netanyahu said Thursday.

Abbas, meanwhile, has accused Israel of creating a “climate” of violence by conducting frequent military raids in Palestinian cities. He also accuses Israel of incitement against him.

Israeli officials accuse Hamas of being behind the recent attacks. Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, praised Thursday’s shooting and confirmed that two people killed by Israel this week were members of its military wing. But it has stopped short of claiming responsibility for their attacks.

The latest string of West Bank violence comes amid years-long diplomatic paralysis, diminishing hopes for peace and escalating Palestinian frustration with the policies of President Donald Trump, who Palestinians accuse of unfair bias toward Israel.

Peace talks have stalled throughout Netanyahu’s decade-long tenure, while Israeli settlements in the West Bank have expanded, incensing Palestinians. The Palestinians seek all of the West Bank, east Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip for their hoped-for independent state.

Meanwhile in Gaza, 75 Palestinians were wounded by Israeli gunfire as thousands demonstrated along the perimeter fence separating Gaza from Israel, the Health Ministry said, without providing a breakdown of the figures.

Hamas has orchestrated such demonstrations on a weekly basis since March, demanding an end to a crippling Israeli-Egyptian blockade on the territory.

Over 175 Palestinians and an Israeli soldier have been killed during the protests.

DeBre reported from Jerusalem. AP writer Fares Akram in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, contributed to this report.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Hamas says that on Tuesday night, three Palestinian police officers were killed and several wounded in two separate suicide attacks on police checkpoints. ISIL's affiliate in Gaza, the Sheikh Omar Hadid Brigade, are the suspected perpetrators.