Blast In Gaza Targets Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah

On March 13^th the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah survived an assassination attempt. His convoy was just outside of the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun when a roadside explosive was detonated. Hamdallah was not hurt, but 6 security guards were wounded. Three vehicles were damaged due to the explosion while debris scattered dozens of yards away and left a crater by the road.

President Abbas’s office held Hamas responsible for the attack and said that it targeted Hamdallah and head of intelligence Majed Faraj, both of whom are members of Fatah. Hamdallah spoke after the incident from his Ramallah-based office saying that, “It was a well-planned attempt. They planted explosive devices two meters deep.”

Hamas said in a statement that the targeting of the motorcade was “part of attempts to damage the security of Gaza and deal a blow to efforts to finalize reconciliation.” Shortly after the explosion, Hamdallah gave a speech at an internationally-funded wastewater treatment plant and ensured that he would continue to pursue Palestinian unity.

Fatah and Hamas have been at odds since 2006 when Hamas had defeated the Fatah party during the Palestinian elections in the Gaza strip. Since then, Hamas has controlled the Gaza strip while the PA control parts of the West Bank.

The two sides have fundamentally different views regarding Israel: Hamas doesn’t believe the state should exist while Fatah believes it should and attempts political solutions with it instead.

The Fatah and Hamas have gone through several attempts to reconcile in the last decade. In 2011 both sides agreed to an Egyptian brokered peace deal but could not agree on who to make the interim prime minister of the unity government. Again, in 2012, both sides had agreed to a reconciliation deal but did not follow through on plans to end hostilities.

In November of 2017, for the first time in a decade, Hamas handed over control of 5 Gaza border crossings to the Fatah. Fatah spokesperson Osama Qawasmeh said this move would make the lives of the Palestinians in Gaza “much easier”. He noted that products would move much faster across the border which would make import and export trade much easier. This is positive news for the residents of Gaza who have seen their economy deteriorate over the last decade and whose health system is facing an imminent collapse.

This latest assassination attempt against Rami Hamdallah will only slow down the chance of a reconciliations deal being made anytime in the near future between Hamas and the Fatah.