Exclusive: Hamas bombed Fatah officials' homes and faked ISIS claim of responsibility

November 7th explosions were conducted by the Hamas military branch, and were not coordinated with the political branch, a western intelligence source revealed.

By NOAM ROTENBERG
A man walks past a damaged door of a Fatah official's home after an explosion in Gaza City November 7, 2014 (photo credit: REUTERS)
A man walks past a damaged door of a Fatah official's home after an explosion in Gaza City November 7, 2014
(photo credit: REUTERS)
It was Hamas that bombed homes and vehicles belonging to Fatah officials in the Gaza Strip last Friday, making sure to forge a false claim of responsibility by the Islamic State in Gaza, a Western intelligence source speaking exclusively to The Jerusalem Post revealed on Thursday.
The incident – which caused damage but no injuries – was conducted by Hamas’s armed wing, Izzadin Kassam, without a heads-up to its political leaders, the source said.
“We will not allow the return of internal conflicts, chaos and anarchy to the Gaza Strip,” Hamas spokesman Eyad al-Bozom said after the blasts. “The security services will pursue anyone who had any connection to these criminal acts until they are brought to justice.”
The intelligence source said such activities may form a pattern of operation conducted by Hamas when it wants to hurt its rivals without being blamed.
The source added that the explosion at the French Cultural Center in Gaza City on October 7 was the work of Izzadin Kassam. In that case as well, Hamas issued a false claim alleging Islamic State responsibility.