AP News, January 23rd, 2007
Dozens of masked gunmen claiming to be members of al-Qaida stormed an empty beach resort and blew up a reception hall on Tuesday, saying they were sending a message to a close ally of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Officials said there were no injuries and they were investigating the Qaida claim. Security officials have discounted such claims in the past.
Yousef Sari, director general of the resort, said about 40 masked gunmen raided the building. The attackers said the attack was aimed at Gaza strongman Mohammed Dahlan, a confidant of Abbas, the moderate Palestinian president.
"Tell Dahlan al-Qaida has arrived in Gaza and his property and assets are targets," Sari quoted the attackers as saying. Dahlan is widely rumored to own the resort, which used to be popular with Israeli tourists in the 1990s, though he denies any business connection to the place.
Israeli officials have long warned that al-Qaida was trying to infiltrate Gaza following the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the coastal strip in 2005.
Abbas also has claimed the group has established "sleeper" cells in Gaza, and al-Qaida has issued statements claiming responsibility for several violent attacks on Palestinian officials.
However, Palestinian security officials say there is no evidence the group is operating in Gaza. They say the claims are usually made by local militants or crime gangs trying to divert attention.
The Islamic militant group Hamas, which controls most government functions, denies any connection to al-Qaida. It says its violent tactics, which have included dozens of suicide bombings, are aimed strictly at Israel, not the Western world at large.
