An explosion has struck the convoy of Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah upon his entrance into the Gaza Strip, lightly injuring several people.

The explosive device detonated shortly after Hamdallah and his convoy passed through the Israeli-controlled Erez checkpoint, known by Palestinians as Beit Hanoun, in northern Gaza on Tuesday.

Hamdallah was unharmed and appeared on live television shortly after the incident at the inauguration of a wastewater treatment facility. However, five others were lightly injured in the blast. The Palestinian Authority intelligence chief Majed Faraj was part of the convoy.

Fatah, the West Bank-based political party to which Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas  belongs, called it a “terrorist attack” and blamed it on Hamas, the ruling party in Gaza.

Hamas condemns the crime of targeting the Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamadallah, considering it part of the attempt aiming to destabilise security in Gaza and to foil efforts to achieve national unity. pic.twitter.com/ZoyNYn2oPm

— Hamas Movement (@HamasInfoEn) March 13, 2018

However, on Twitter, Hamas condemned “the crime of targeting the Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamadallah, considering it part of the attempt to destabilize security in Gaza and to foil efforts to achieve national unity”.

(Al Jazeera, PC, Social Media)