At Least 15 Wounded in Northern Gaza House Explosion
Israeli military says the blast is the result of 'terror organizations' storing ammunition and weapons in homes in the enclave
At least 15 people were lightly to moderately wounded Saturday morning in an explosion that rattled a house in the town of Beit Hanoun in the Gaza Strip, while circumstances surrounding the blast remain unclear.
The house, whose residents are yet to be identified, was severely damaged, and damage was also caused to nearby structures. Eyewitnesses said that the blast was heard across the northern part of the Strip with smoke billowing seen from afar.
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The Hamas militant organization that controls the Strip closed off the scene and is investigating, with speculation ranging from a blast inside the house to a rocket launched from the enclave that accidently hit the structure.
A hospital in Beit Hanoun said that some of the wounded were brought in with contusions and shrapnel injuries.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military said the explosion is a result of storing ammunition and weapons in homes in the Gaza Strip.
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The Israel Defense Forces' spokesman in Arabic, Avichay Adraee, wrote on Twitter that "…this house, like many others in the Gaza Strip, was turned into a storehouse for weapons, ammunition, rockets and military equipment for terror organizations, with innocent residents being the ones who eventually pay the price."