"It is hard to deliver an accurate assessment of how serious this threat
is but we urge all members to be extra vigilant and to consider their
profile and exposure while working in Gaza," the FPA alert said.
On Feb. 15, Hamas-aligned gunmen blew up the Young Men's Christian
Association library in Gaza City. The gunmen abducted guards at the
facility,
detonated a huge bomb and destroyed the library.
The YMCA is located about 200 meters from the Hamas police headquarters.
Nobody was arrested in wake of the bombing. Police dismantled a second bomb
in the YMCA.
"I hope the people behind it won't get away with it, but it seems it
will be like the previous cases [when no one was caught]," said Khalil
Shahin, a member of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights in Gaza, said.
Diplomats said the destruction of the YMCA could signal a security
breakdown that would first threaten Westerners. Non-governmental
organizations have relayed concern over security to visiting UN
undersecretary-general for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes.
Over the last few months, Islamic gunmen have attacked the American
School, a Gaza church as well as social and cultural clubs and sports
centers. Palestinian sources said the assailants represent rival factions
within the Hamas regime.
"These people [attackers] have been given immunity for years," a
diplomat said. "The only conclusion that we could draw from this is that
they are operating under the auspices of a prominent figure."
