Fears rise of extremist groups' return to Gaza

GAZA City

Concern is mounting over the possible return of extremist groups to Gaza after explosions rocked two police checkpoints Tuesday.

Some political analysts say Israel may be behind the blasts, in light of the ability of Israeli intelligence to utilize extremist groups to spread chaos and insecurity in Gaza.

On Wednesday, the Interior Ministry in Gaza announced that three police officers were killed and three others injured in the explosions.

No group has claimed responsibility for the blasts while initial investigations point to the involvement of extremist groups.

Less than an hour after the attacks, Israel officially denied any responsibility.

“What happened last night is a dangerous indication that there are tireless attempts by certain groups and entities, including the Israeli occupation, to cause a state of insecurity in Gaza to affect the internal structure of the resistance,” Tayseer Muhaisen, a political analyst and lecturer at Al-Azhar University in Gaza, told Anadolu Agency.

"Keeping Gaza drowning in such problems is one of the main aims of the Israeli occupation, which Israel can easily do by bringing in these extremist groups,” he said.

He warned that these blasts require the security apparatuses in Gaza to keep "constant vigil" with a view to keep the coastal enclave "secure and safe."

Mustafa al-Sawwaf, a political analyst close to Hamas, said this is not the first time that such a thing has occurred and it will not be the last.

Al-Sawwaf added that the timing of the blasts is very sensitive, given the current state of tensions with Israel.

He said these extremist groups are pursued by the security apparatuses in Gaza, but they "have yet to be deterred."

He said the perpetrators of the blasts aimed to affect security in the Gaza Strip, affirming that these bids "would not succeed."

Palestinian political analyst Husam Al-Dajani said "extremist thought in Gaza was fueled by the miserable economic situation and state of despair among the Palestinian people, who are enduring it on a daily basis in Gaza."

“Such a reality may be suitable for the emergence of extremist groups, although they are small in number in Gaza," he added.

Al-Dajani believes these blasts are similar to the recent terrorist blasts in certain capitals around the world, which requires a genuine move by the international community to support and assist the Palestinian people.

He said "the blasts might badly affect the general security situation in Gaza and visits by foreign delegations to the area."

The blasts are not the first to occur in Gaza. In August 2017, two security officers affiliated with Hamas were killed in a suicide blast by an extremist agent in the Rafah border area with Egypt. Also, an explosion hit the convoy of former Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah near the Beit Hanoun area northern the Gaza Strip.

The blasts also came amid rising tensions with Israel in light of ongoing Israeli restrictions and the fragile situation in Gaza which might develop at any moment into a military confrontation between Israel and Gazan resistance groups.

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this analysis from Ankara