Islamic State implicated in car bombings against militant factions in Gaza

GAZA, July 19 (UPI) -- A Hamas commander is blaming the Islamic State for explosions targeting parked vehicles belonging to officials with various militant factions in Gaza.

The Jerusalem Post quoted Abu Hamar, a commander in Hamas' security forces in Gaza, as saying the Sunni extremist group, which holds lands in Iraq and Syria as well as the allegiance of several umbrella groups across the greater region, was behind Sunday's attacks. He called for a reaction from Hamas.

Reports vary on the number of cars that were bombed. CNN reports five, the BBC reports four, and the Jerusalem Post reports seven. The vehicles were owned by officials with Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Local hospitals say at least two civilians were injured in the blasts.

The attacks occurred in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, a reported Hamas stronghold. IS graffiti was photographed at the scene of one of the explosions, according to the Jerusalem Post.

Last month, IS militants issued threats to Hamas in a video statement.

"The rule of sharia [Islamic law] will be implemented in Gaza, in spite of you. We swear that what is happening in the Levant today, and in particular the Yarmouk camp, will happen in Gaza," the Guardian quoted a masked IS militant in the video as saying, referring to a Palestinian refugee camp near Damascus, Syria, that is under siege by IS fighters.

The BBC reports Salafist groups in Gaza have pledged support to IS due to similarly strict interpretations of Islam, and that dozens have been arrested in recent weeks following a wave of bombings.

The Jerusalem Post, however, quoted Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri as saying "there is nothing called the Islamic State in the Gaza Strip," adding that the group only had "some supporters" in the territory.

The bombings come after the Israeli Air Force last week conducted an airstrike in Gaza after a rocket was launched into an open area of the Hof Ashkelon region, causing no casualties.