GAZA (Reuters) - Gaza’s ruling Hamas group blamed Palestinian Authority officials on Saturday for the attempted assassination in the enclave of Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah on March 13.

Finger-pointing over the roadside bomb attack on Hamdallah’s convoy looks likely to deepen a bitter political rift between the Islamist Hamas group and Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Abbas blamed the attack on Hamas soon after the incident in Gaza, in which Hamdallah, who has spearheaded efforts by the Authority to reconcile with Hamas, was not injured.

But Eyad al-Bozom, spokesman for the Hamas-run interior ministry in Gaza, told a news conference on Saturday that three senior officers of Abbas’s West Bank-based Palestinian Authority had masterminded the blast.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the allegations and the Authority rejected Hamas’s accusation.

Three men identified by Hamas as suspects involved in the bombing were killed in a shootout with its forces in Gaza on March 22.

The Gaza Interior Ministry presented video confessions by four men it is holding in custody, who it said were part of that cell guided by the PA officers, who are based in the West Bank. It presented no further evidence.

The assassination attempt has derailed efforts to end a deep divide between the two main Palestinian factions — Hamas, which dominates Gaza, and Abbas’s Fatah, the main force in the Palestinian Authority in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Khalil al-Hayya, deputy head of Hamas in Gaza, told a separate news conference that the suspects “wanted to kill reconciliation”.

Al-Bozom said the suspected Palestinian Authority officers were also behind an attempt to kill Hamas’s head of security Tawfeeq Abu Naeem in October in Gaza.

A spokesman for the Authority’s security services blamed Hamas for the March 13 blast. “The more Hamas tries to evade responsibility, the deeper it sinks,” Adnan al-Dmairi told Reuters by telephone.</s>Gaza's Islamist leaders Hamas on Saturday publicly accused the rival Palestinian Authority (PA) of planning an assassination attempt against the head of its own government.

PA prime minister Rami Hamdallah, was unhurt when a roadside bomb hit his convoy during a rare visit to Hamas-controlled Gaza last month.

Hamdallah heads the PA's West Bank-based government under the presidency of Mahmud Abbas.

The explosion put an end to an already faltering reconciliation agreement between Hamas and secularists Fatah, which dominates the PA.

Afterwards Abbas accused Hamas of carrying out the bombing.

But on Saturday a spokesman for the Hamas interior ministry in Gaza accused senior PA security officials of orchestrating the attack to destabilise the coastal territory.

"Investigations have shown that senior figures in the General Intelligence Service in Ramallah are the engine of subversive cells that are working to undermine security in the Gaza Strip," spokesman Iyad Buzum told a press conference.

Relations between the two largest Palestinian groups are at a low, six months after they signed a reconciliation deal aimed at ending a decade-long split.</s>Damaged vehicle of the convoy of Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah is seen after an explosion in the northern Gaza Strip Thomson Reuters GAZA (Reuters) - Gaza's ruling Hamas group blamed Palestinian Authority officials on Saturday for the attempted assassination in the enclave of Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah on March 13.

Finger-pointing over the roadside bomb attack on Hamdallah's convoy looks likely to deepen a bitter political rift between the Islamist Hamas group and Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Abbas blamed the attack on Hamas soon after the incident in Gaza, in which Hamdallah, who has spearheaded efforts by the Authority to reconcile with Hamas, was not injured.

But Eyad al-Bozom, spokesman for the Hamas-run interior ministry in Gaza, told a news conference on Saturday that three senior officers of Abbas's West Bank-based Palestinian Authority had masterminded the blast.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the allegations and the Authority rejected Hamas's accusation.

Three men identified by Hamas as suspects involved in the bombing were killed in a shootout with its forces in Gaza on March 22.

The Gaza Interior Ministry presented video confessions by four men it is holding in custody, who it said were part of that cell guided by the PA officers, who are based in the West Bank. It presented no further evidence.

The assassination attempt has derailed efforts to end a deep divide between the two main Palestinian factions -- Hamas, which dominates Gaza, and Abbas's Fatah, the main force in the Palestinian Authority in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Khalil al-Hayya, deputy head of Hamas in Gaza, told a separate news conference that the suspects "wanted to kill reconciliation".

Al-Bozom said the suspected Palestinian Authority officers were also behind an attempt to kill Hamas's head of security Tawfeeq Abu Naeem in October in Gaza.

A spokesman for the Authority's security services blamed Hamas for the March 13 blast. "The more Hamas tries to evade responsibility, the deeper it sinks," Adnan al-Dmairi told Reuters by telephone.</s>An official in the Hamas-administered Gaza Strip accused a senior intelligence officer in the Palestinian Authority (PA) for the attempted assassination of the Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, on March 13.

Rami Hamdallah’s convoy was attacked just after it crossed through the Israeli-controlled Erez checkpoint, known to Palestinians as Beit Hanoun. He was unharmed but seven security guards were wounded in the blast.

Iyad al-Bozom, the spokesman for the Hamas government’s interior ministry, said at a press conference on Saturday in Gaza:

“Our investigations were clear and complete. We are not accusing the Palestinian Intelligence, but in the course of our investigation we discovered that Brigadier-General Baha Balousha of the intelligence department orchestrated the attack.”

Al-Bozom said the suspected Palestinian Authority officers were also behind an attempt to kill Hamas’s head of security Tawfeeq Abu Naeem in October in Gaza.

Osama al-Qawasmi, a spokesman for Fatah, the main Palestinian faction in Ramallah where the PA operates, denied the allegations in a statement, and accused Bozom of engaging in “misleading theatrics”.

PA President Mahmoud Abbas has accused Hamas of orchestrating the explosion that targeted Hamdallah’s convoy.</s>GAZA (Reuters) - Gaza’s ruling Hamas group blamed Palestinian Authority officials on Saturday for the attempted assassination in the enclave of Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah on March 13.

Finger-pointing over the roadside bomb attack on Hamdallah’s convoy looks likely to deepen a bitter political rift between the Islamist Hamas group and Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Abbas blamed the attack on Hamas soon after the incident in Gaza, in which Hamdallah, who has spearheaded efforts by the Authority to reconcile with Hamas, was not injured.

But Eyad al-Bozom, spokesman for the Hamas-run interior ministry in Gaza, told a news conference on Saturday that three senior officers of Abbas’s West Bank-based Palestinian Authority had masterminded the blast.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the allegations and the Authority rejected Hamas’s accusation.

Three men identified by Hamas as suspects involved in the bombing were killed in a shootout with its forces in Gaza on March 22.

The Gaza Interior Ministry presented video confessions by four men it is holding in custody, who it said were part of that cell guided by the PA officers, who are based in the West Bank. It presented no further evidence.

The assassination attempt has derailed efforts to end a deep divide between the two main Palestinian factions — Hamas, which dominates Gaza, and Abbas’s Fatah, the main force in the Palestinian Authority in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Khalil al-Hayya, deputy head of Hamas in Gaza, told a separate news conference that the suspects “wanted to kill reconciliation”.

Al-Bozom said the suspected Palestinian Authority officers were also behind an attempt to kill Hamas’s head of security Tawfeeq Abu Naeem in October in Gaza.

A spokesman for the Authority’s security services blamed Hamas for the March 13 blast. “The more Hamas tries to evade responsibility, the deeper it sinks,” Adnan al-Dmairi told Reuters by telephone.</s>Palestine Authority Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah survived a roadside bomb explosion during a visit to Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip last month. The Prime Minister was unscathed by the explosion, according to an AFP report.

"Investigations have shown that senior figures in the General Intelligence Service in Ramallah are the engine of subversive cells that are working to undermine security in the Gaza Strip," spokesman Iyad Buzum stated at a news conference.

The explosion scuppered an already faltering reconciliation agreement between Hamas and the Fatah secularists, who dominate the PA, AFP reported.

Relations between the two largest Palestinian groups have hit their lowest point a mere six months after they signed a reconciliation deal aimed at ending their decade-long confrontation.</s>Gaza's ruling Hamas group blamed Palestinian Authority officials on Saturday for the attempted assassination in the enclave of Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah on March 13.

GAZA: Gaza's ruling Hamas group blamed Palestinian Authority officials on Saturday for the attempted assassination in the enclave of Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah on March 13.

Finger-pointing over the roadside bomb attack on Hamdallah's convoy looks likely to deepen a bitter political rift between the Islamist Hamas group and Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Abbas blamed the attack on Hamas soon after the incident in Gaza, in which Hamdallah, who has spearheaded efforts by the Authority to reconcile with Hamas, was not injured.

But Eyad al-Bozom, spokesman for the Hamas-run interior ministry in Gaza, told a news conference on Saturday that three senior officers of Abbas's West Bank-based Palestinian Authority had masterminded the blast.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the allegations and the Authority rejected Hamas's accusation.

Three men identified by Hamas as suspects involved in the bombing were killed in a shootout with its forces in Gaza on March 22.

The Gaza Interior Ministry presented video confessions by four men it is holding in custody, who it said were part of that cell guided by the PA officers, who are based in the West Bank. It presented no further evidence.

The assassination attempt has derailed efforts to end a deep divide between the two main Palestinian factions - Hamas, which dominates Gaza, and Abbas's Fatah, the main force in the Palestinian Authority in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Khalil al-Hayya, deputy head of Hamas in Gaza, told a separate news conference that the suspects "wanted to kill reconciliation".

Al-Bozom said the suspected Palestinian Authority officers were also behind an attempt to kill Hamas's head of security Tawfeeq Abu Naeem in October in Gaza.

A spokesman for the Authority's security services blamed Hamas for the March 13 blast. "The more Hamas tries to evade responsibility, the deeper it sinks," Adnan al-Dmairi told Reuters by telephone.</s>GAZA, April 28 (Reuters) - Gaza's ruling Hamas group blamed Palestinian Authority officials on Saturday for the attempted assassination in the enclave of Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah on March 13.

Finger-pointing over the roadside bomb attack on Hamdallah's convoy looks likely to deepen a bitter political rift between the Islamist Hamas group and Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Abbas blamed the attack on Hamas soon after the incident in Gaza, in which Hamdallah, who has spearheaded efforts by the Authority to reconcile with Hamas, was not injured.

But Eyad al-Bozom, spokesman for the Hamas-run interior ministry in Gaza, told a news conference on Saturday that three senior officers of Abbas's West Bank-based Palestinian Authority had masterminded the blast.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the allegations and the Authority rejected Hamas's accusation.

Three men identified by Hamas as suspects involved in the bombing were killed in a shootout with its forces in Gaza on March 22.

The Gaza Interior Ministry presented video confessions by four men it is holding in custody, who it said were part of that cell guided by the PA officers, who are based in the West Bank. It presented no further evidence.

The assassination attempt has derailed efforts to end a deep divide between the two main Palestinian factions -- Hamas, which dominates Gaza, and Abbas's Fatah, the main force in the Palestinian Authority in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Khalil al-Hayya, deputy head of Hamas in Gaza, told a separate news conference that the suspects "wanted to kill reconciliation".

Al-Bozom said the suspected Palestinian Authority officers were also behind an attempt to kill Hamas's head of security Tawfeeq Abu Naeem in October in Gaza.

A spokesman for the Authority's security services blamed Hamas for the March 13 blast. "The more Hamas tries to evade responsibility, the deeper it sinks," Adnan al-Dmairi told Reuters by telephone.</s>Leaders of Gaza's Islamist group Hamas on Saturday publicly accused the rival Palestinian Authority (PA) of planning an assassination attempt against the head of its own government.

PA Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah was not hurt when a roadside bomb hit his convoy on 13 March during a rare visit to Hamas-controlled Gaza.

Hamdallah heads the PA's West Bank-based government under the presidency of Mahmoud Abbas.

Relations between the two largest Palestinian groups are worsening, six months after they signed a reconciliation deal aimed at ending a decade-long split.

The explosion put an end to an already faltering reconciliation agreement between Hamas and secularists Fatah, which dominates the PA.

Hamas: Palestinian Authority General Intelligence Service was behind the bombing of the convoy of PM Rami Hamdallah in Gaza Strip last month. pic.twitter.com/EDZOEBuqPi — Khaled Abu Toameh (@KhaledAbuToameh) April 28, 2018

Continued finger-pointing over the roadside bomb attack on Hamdallah's convoy looks likely to deepen the already bitter political rift.

After the blast, Abbas had accused Hamas of carrying out the bombing.

On Saturday a spokesman for the Hamas interior ministry in Gaza accused senior PA security officials of orchestrating the attack to destabilise the coastal territory.

"Investigations have shown that senior figures in the General Intelligence Service in Ramallah [the PA's de facto administrative capital] are the engine of subversive cells that are working to undermine security in the Gaza Strip," spokesman Iyad Buzum told a news conference.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the allegations, and the PA rejected Hamas's accusation.

Three men identified by Hamas as suspects involved in the bombing were killed in a shootout with its forces in Gaza on 22 March.</s>GAZA (Reuters) - Gaza’s ruling Hamas group blamed Palestinian Authority officials on Saturday for the attempted assassination in the enclave of Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah on March 13.

Finger-pointing over the roadside bomb attack on Hamdallah’s convoy looks likely to deepen a bitter political rift between the Islamist Hamas group and Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Abbas blamed the attack on Hamas soon after the incident in Gaza, in which Hamdallah, who has spearheaded efforts by the Authority to reconcile with Hamas, was not injured.

But Eyad al-Bozom, spokesman for the Hamas-run interior ministry in Gaza, told a news conference on Saturday that three senior officers of Abbas’s West Bank-based Palestinian Authority had masterminded the blast.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the allegations and the Authority rejected Hamas’s accusation.

Three men identified by Hamas as suspects involved in the bombing were killed in a shootout with its forces in Gaza on March 22.

The Gaza Interior Ministry presented video confessions by four men it is holding in custody, who it said were part of that cell guided by the PA officers, who are based in the West Bank. It presented no further evidence.

The assassination attempt has derailed efforts to end a deep divide between the two main Palestinian factions — Hamas, which dominates Gaza, and Abbas’s Fatah, the main force in the Palestinian Authority in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Khalil al-Hayya, deputy head of Hamas in Gaza, told a separate news conference that the suspects “wanted to kill reconciliation”.

Al-Bozom said the suspected Palestinian Authority officers were also behind an attempt to kill Hamas’s head of security Tawfeeq Abu Naeem in October in Gaza.

A spokesman for the Authority’s security services blamed Hamas for the March 13 blast. “The more Hamas tries to evade responsibility, the deeper it sinks,” Adnan al-Dmairi told Reuters by telephone.
Hamas accuses the Palestinian Authority of performing a bombing against its own Prime Minister, Rami Hamdallah. Hamdallah escaped injury when his convoy was bombed during a visit to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip last month.