PALESTINIAN YOUTH INJURED IN BUS FIRE DIES; CLAIM OF HAMAS CONNECTION MADE IN MEDIA

INJURED YOUTH HAS DIED

Abd al-Hamid Abu Srour(19), who lost both of his legs and suffered severe burns in the explosion and following fire that destroyed two buses, one of them empty, in West Jerusalem on Monday evening has died.

Abu Srour was from the Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem on the occupied West Bank and several news sourcea claim that according to Hamas he was its member and that the explosion was the result of a bomb which he set off.

The alleged bomb has been speculated to have been a small device set at the rear of the bus and although Abu Srour suffered severe injuries, there's no evidence that this was intended to be a suicide bombing - if it was a bombing at all.

Israeli occupation has arrested Abd al-Hamid Abu Srour's father, allegedly to gain a DNA sample. Israel's government has also put a restraining order on Israeli media, so that it couldn't report on some of the details of the incident, in which 20 other people were also injured.

CLAIM OF HAMAS BEING BEHIND THE INCIDENT

Without having seen the Arabic version of Hamas' spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri's press statement, we have doubts about Hamas really claiming the incident as a bombing made by it. We will update this article when we have seen what exactly was said by Abu Zuhri.

Reuters claims that Palestine Information Center would have identified Abu Srour as member of Hamas' al-Qassam Brigades, but in fact the claim in the Arabic news item we assume Reuters based this is vaguely made and PIC is not saying that he was, only that he was claimed to be.

Previously it hadn't been confirmed that the explosion and fire were result of a bomb, and even now a real possibility exists that the supposed announcement in the name of Hamas is a false claim, based on misunderstandings and bad communication.

Hamas' and several other small resistance groups in the besieged Gaza on Wednesday announced support for the incident as an 'attack', but this seems to be based on an extrapolation instead of solid information and at this point, based on how for example Hamas' own short English version of Abu Zuhri's speech is paraphrased, we assume that to be the more likely case.

What we have so far can confirm to be from Hamas is just a standard claim of support it makes for any real or assumed action against the occupation even when it has no direct connection to it.

That, of course, will matter little to Israel's government and we can expect serious escalation in both East Jerusalem and West Bank and towards the besieged Gaza Strip.

SOURCES:

Abdel-Hamid Abu Srour 19 years who was seriously wounded in Monday’s Jerusalem bus bombing dies of wounds
http://english.pnn.ps/…/abdel-hamid-abu-srour-19-years-who…/

Hamas claims Jerusalem bus explosion as Palestinian succumbs to his wounds
http://maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=771224

Hamas: Jerusalem operation a natural response to occupation's crimes
http://hamas.ps/…/hamas-jerusalem-operation-a-natural-respo…

Palestinian Injured In Jerusalem Bus Bombing Dies Of His Wounds
http://imemc.org/…/palestinian-injured-in-jerusalem-bus-bo…/

Palestinian wounded in Jerusalem bus bombing dies, Hamas claims him
http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCAKCN0XH2KU

Resistance factions: Jerusalem’s attack heralds new stage
http://english.palinfo.com/site/pages/details.aspx…

الاحتلال يعلن المشتبه به بتفجير

الباص في القدس
https://www.palinfo.com/…/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B9%D9%84%D8…