A large explosion destroyed several houses leaving at least 20 injured on Saturday in a residential area in the northern Gaza Strip, Palestinian territory controlled by Hamas, local officials said.
The explosion allegedly occurred in the home of a member of one of Gaza’s armed groups.
“An explosion occurred in a house in Beit Hanoun this morning, causing a number of injuries,” the Hamas government’s interior ministry said.
More than 20 people were injured and two of them are in serious condition, according to medical sources.
Eyewitnesses reported that several houses were damaged by the explosion at the house of an “activist”. The police established a security perimeter and prohibited access to the site. An investigation had been opened to determine the cause of the explosion.
According to an Israeli army spokesperson, this explosion is linked to the fact that militants “store weapons in residential houses”.
These houses have been “turned into warehouses for weapons … and missiles for terrorist organizations, and those who ultimately pay the price are innocent civilians,” said military spokesman Avichay Adraee. , in Arabic on Twitter.
Hamas, an Islamist movement established in 1987, has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007, where two million Palestinians live under Israeli blockades, after clashes with forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah.