ISIS Suspected as Gaza Car Bombs Target Hamas

Five Simultaneous Bombs Target Armed Wings of Hamas, Islamic Jihad

ISIS is the prime suspect tonight after five simultaneous car bombings in the Gaza Strip which targeted leaders of the armed wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The Gaza Interior Ministry reported arrests but did not indicate who they captured.

The five bombings all took place within 15 minutes of one another, with explosives planted in the cars of five leaders while parked in front of their respective homes. None of the five were apparently injured in the attacks, though two others were wounded

ISIS has been targeting Hamas for awhile now, and is the most probable such attack, though so far they hadn’t been after Islamic Jihad. No one has claimed credit for the attacks so far, which is not unusual when the bombs fail to kill people.

At the same time, Hamas has recently released confession videos of members of the Fatah-run Palestinian Authority who said they were ordered to bomb vehicles in the Gaza Strip, and there is some speculation this could be related to that plot.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.