6 Hamas militants killed in central Gaza explosion

GAZA, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Six militants of Islamic Hamas movement armed wing killed and three injured Saturday evening in an explosion in a house in the town of Zawayda in central Gaza Strip.

Ashraf al-Qedra, the Gaza health ministry spokesman told reporters that six were killed and three wounded, adding that doctors managed to identity the six dead people as Taher Shahin, Wesam Abu Mahroog, Musa Salman, Mahmoud al-Ustz, Mahmoud Tawashi and Mahmud Qishawi.

Meanwhile, a source close to al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas armed wing, said the six dead are militants, members in the engineering unit of al-Qassam Brigades.

Police forces of Hamas and crews of civil defense arrived for investigating the explosion, where several neighboring houses had also been damaged.

Later, al-Qassam Brigades said in a short press statement that "a serious crime was committed against our militants in Zawayda town in central Gaza Strip as they followed up a serious security event prepared by the Zionist enemy against Palestinian resistance."

The statement also said that "more details are to be published later on the intelligence security operation which is very complicated and caused a big crime."

Meanwhile, the Israeli media quoted an Israeli army spokesman as saying that the Israeli army is not behind the incident in the Gaza Strip.

In the past few days, the Israeli army has threatened to strike targets deep into the Gaza Strip after every Friday, during which marches, protests and rallies are organized along with the eastern border of the Gaza Strip with Israel. Enditem