The Islamist Hamas organization announced that as part of an operation of its security forces, they have managed to locate and kill the prime suspect in last week’s assassination attempt against Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah. The suspect, who was not immediately identified, was initially wounded in a gun battle with Hamas militants that surrounded his hideout. Two members of the Hamas security forces and one accomplice of the suspect also died in the shootout. Nevertheless, Hamas officials hailed the operation as a national achievement, who were “able to unravel the events.” “I consider this a national achievement for our security forces who were able to unravel the events of this attack and capture the ones involved. The operation is still on going to capture all of those who are involved in this attack,” Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya said.
The assassination attempt of Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah threatened to unravel Hamas’ reconciliation agreement with the Palestinian Authority, that after President Mahmoud Abbas accused the Islamist group of orchestrating the attack. Meanwhile, the allegations against Hamas have not altered after its raid of those it claimed were responsible for the attack, with a spokesman for Hamdallah’s government questioning Hamas’s version of events and again accusing the group of bearing “full criminal responsibility” for the assassination attempt.