Officials of the Palestinian Authority (headed by Fatah) claimed that Hamas members accidentally caused the explosion.
[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] Prior to the incident (on the same day), Israeli forces raided a house in Tulkarem, West Bank, killing three Islamic Jihad members.
[note 1] Islamic Jihad responded by firing rockets on Israel, after which the IDF reportedly dispatched an Apache helicopter over Gaza.
Israel responded with numerous strikes on targets in Gaza, killing at least two Hamas militants and wounding at least 29 Palestinians, including civilians.
[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] In March 2006, Khaled Dahdouh of the Islamic Jihad was killed in a car explosion for which no group, Israeli or Palestinian, took responsibility.