Explosion at Hamas Rally Kills 10 in Gaza

A rally for the militant group Hamas turned deadly today as a pickup truck carrying two homemade rockets and masked Hamas terrorists exploded in the Gaza Strip. At least 10 Hamas members were killed in the explosion and another 85 were wounded according to local hospital reports. Ten of the wounded men were reported in serious condition.

The rally was taking place at the Jebaliya refugee camp and was to be the last permitted military parade before a ban on flaunting weapons in public is scheduled to go into effect on Saturday evening.

Many children were among the wounded according to eyewitness accounts as Hamas rallies such as this one are popular with young people in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas immediately attempted to blame Israel but a spokesman for the Palestinian Authority Interior Ministry indicated that the blast was caused by explosives being handled by the militants. The Israeli Defense Forces have denied any involvement in the explosion.

Elsewhere in the Gaza Strip, the PA opened the Rafah crossing on the border between Egypt and Gaza. This marked the first time for many Gazans that they could cross the border legally without being under Israeli supervision.

'This is the first time we cross without the Israelis standing over our heads, and that indeed is a blessing,' said Manal Hatem, 36, who was on her way to a religious pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.