'Islamic State In Gaza' Claims Responsibility For Blasts at French Cultural Center

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for multiple massive explosions on Tuesday at the French Cultural Center in Gaza City, according to a flier that has been making the rounds in the Strip.

Photo Credit: EPA

The flier told Gazans that Tuesday’s explosion was “the debut operation for the Islamic State group in the Gaza Strip.”

Islamic State in Gaza Flier (Twitter)

The “Islamic State in Gaza” claimed that it had used 440 pounds of explosives, and had connected the devices to the building’s gas supply, which ignited the blast. The statement added that the French Cultural Center should be considered a “center of [moral] corruption.”

The Hamas terror group, which controls the Gaza Strip, has claimed that the explosions were caused by a technical problem in the facilities’ electric and gas services.

Due to the fact that the blast occurred around midnight, there were reportedly no casualties at the site of the blast.

Haaretz reports that just hours later, another flier made the rounds in Gaza City which was posted by a group identifying as the same “Islamic State in Gaza” name. The second IS in Gaza group claimed that it did not carry out the attack on the facility, but added that their “mission is to implement Shariah law in Islamic lands and murder the children of Zion (Jews).”

France 24 interviewed an eyewitness to the blast, who said: “I immediately rushed to the window and saw flames shooting up into the sky, above the warehouse which has the generator and the fuel depot.” The eyewitness added, “But the fire did not spread to the main building, which appears largely intact despite the intensity of the flames.”