Unexplained explosions rock Gaza

An explosion ripped through a car on a busy Gaza City beach Friday night, killing a Hamas field commander and three other people, security officials said.

It was the third unexplained blast of the day in the Gaza Strip after a relatively calm period since Israel and the Islamic militant group Hamas agreed on a cease-fire last month. The explosions killed a total of five people and hurt 23.

No one here blamed Israel for the violence, indicating that it was probably the result of Palestinian infighting.

The late-night blast killed Amar Musubah, a Hamas military field commander, and another Hamas militant, Eyad Hia, medical officials said. A child and a fourth, unidentified individual also died.

Earlier in the day, unknown assailants set off two bombs in Gaza City.

The first explosion occurred just after midnight outside the Al Jazera cafe.

The cafe was hit two other times this year in similar attacks, presumably perpetrated by hard-line Islamists who target record shops and other sites they see as signs of Western influence.

The blast wounded three people and killed the bomber, Hamas officials said.

The other earlier bomb exploded outside the house of Hamas lawmaker Marwan Abu Rass, but caused no casualties. An activist in the rival Fatah movement led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was arrested as a suspect.