Gaza: Bombing near French cultural center

(Baonghean.vn) - On the evening of Friday, December 12, a bomb exploded near the French Cultural Center in Gaza, fortunately there were no casualties. Police said the bombing took place in an area controlled by Palestinians.

The scene of the explosion on December 12. Photo: AFP/Mahmud Hams

An explosion took place behind the French Cultural Center in the Gaza Strip on Friday evening. According to a source, there were one or two explosions that caused the southern wall of the building to collapse. The site of the bombing is known to have antennas for the French consulate and is also close to the site of a “mysterious” fire on December 7.

Since the fire on December 7, the cultural center as well as important foreign organizations based in the Gaza Strip have been closed. The Hamas government has organized an investigation but the results of this investigation have not been made public.

“This is a cowardly attack and it is unfortunate that this is the second such incident in less than two months,” Aymane Betneeji, a spokesman for the Gaza Strip government, said. Betneeji added that “it seems that a group of people wanted to cause trouble against foreign-related targets in the Gaza Strip in order to further tarnish the image of the Gaza Strip government.”

Authorities said all roads to the cultural center had been blocked and stressed that “investigators are taking steps to identify the perpetrators” of the attack.

The French Cultural Center opened in 1990 and expanded in late 2013. It is a popular place for people in the Gaza Strip, an area where entertainment services are limited.

The blast comes amid a diplomatic row between France and Hamas following suicide attacks on a French cultural centre in Kabul on Thursday. At the moment, the ability to ensure the safety of foreigners in the Gaza Strip is considered a sensitive issue for Hamas.

Chu Thanh

According to LeMonde 12/12