Gaza blast kills three
A massive explosion has struck a US diplomatic convoy in the Gaza Strip, killing three Americans and injuring another.
The dead are believed to be two security guards and a junior diplomat.
The blast appears to have caused by a roadside device, possibly detonated by remote control as the US diplomatic convoy was passing.
It is the first time a US target has been hit inside the Palestinian territories.
Members of the CIA are believed to have been in the convoy.
The blast took place at 1000 local time (0800 GMT) near the village of Beit Hanoun, close to the Jabalya refugee camp, about one kilometre inside the Gaza Strip.
The armour-plated Cherokee jeep which bore the brunt of the blast was completely destroyed.
Both the Islamic Jihad and Hamas militant groups have denied involvement in the attack.
The new Palestinian prime minister, Ahmed Qurei, was quick to condemn the attack, saying: “We are sorry about it. We condemn it strongly. We will investigate it.”
In Ramallah, Palestinian president, Yasser Arafat, released a statement in which he condemned the attack as “an ugly crime” and said he had ordered an investigation.
The explosion occurred just hours after the US vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israel’s controversial West Bank barrier.
Witnesses reported that, shortly after the blast, Israeli tanks arrived on the scene and opened fire with machine guns.
