Christians Under Attack

near two Palestinian vessels off the Gaza coast on May 3. It fled before it could be intercepted, its crew dumping 11 bags overboard, Dallal said.

"Israeli naval divers searched and retrieved 550kg of military grade TNT," he said.

Dallal said the Palestinian boat crews were interrogated and found to have no connection to the smuggling attempt. His office had said earlier that initial reports indicated the Palestinians had received the shipment.
Hamas spokesperson Ghazi Hamad said it was unaware of any attempt to smuggle explosives into Gaza.

Hamas, which is sworn to Israel's destruction, took control of the Palestinian Authority in March after beating Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas's long-dominant Fatah movement in January's parliamentary election.

The Hamas-led government has refused to clamp down on attacks and operations by Palestinian militants against Israel.

Egypt is Gaza's southern neighbour. Palestinian militants in Gaza have long used tunnels under the border to bring in arms.

Israel quit Gaza last year after 38 years of occupation, but maintains control of the coastal strip's airspace and waters with the stated aim of preventing arms from reaching militants.

One Palestinian faction recently added Russian-made "Grad" missiles to its arsenal of homemade projectiles. Palestinians call the escalation a response to Israeli army crackdowns in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

Hamas says talks with the Jewish state would be a waste of time. The group has carried out nearly 60 suicide bombings against Israelis since a Palestinian uprising began in 2000, but has largely abided by a 15-month-old ceasefire.

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