Middle East: The Gaza explosion which killed US security men yesterday left a large crater in the dusty rubble-strewn road some three kilometres from the Erez border crossing with Israel, writes Nuala Haughey in Gaza.
By late afternoon firemen were hosing the debris from the spot in the Palestinian-controlled strip where the diplomatic convoy was bombed.
Palestinian boys looked on as the powerful water blasts swept away pieces of charred metal and pools of blood stained dust, leaving behind only the hole, 10 feet in diameter and about four feet deep.
The attack on the unmarked silver vehicles, which had diplomatic plates is a serious escalation in the violence here. No group has claimed responsibility for the bomb, which was detonated at around 10 a.m. local time when the convoy of three armour plated people carriers were travelling along the Salahadin street, the main road into Gaza city from the Erez border crossing with Israel.
The first vehicle bore the brunt of the blast with tore out its front half. It was examined by US investigators and by early evening its remains were left on a recovery truck at the Erez crossing.
Khalil Sheikh (39) a local teacher who witnessed the aftermath of the explosion said there were dismembered bodies lying about 20 metres from the vehicle. He also noticed a badly injured man sitting in the remains of the vehicle. Another witness said US investigators who were escorted to the bomb scene by Palestinian security forces were stoned by some onlookers who shouted anti-American slogans. Palestinian security personnel fired shots in the air to disperse these crowds, according to locals.
The people in the convoy had been planning to interview local students who were hoping to gain scholarships to study in the US. In Gaza yesterday afternoon locals expressed concern about possible repercussions of the attack. One Palestinian taxi driver approached a journalist on the Gaza side of the Erez crossing and asked: "Do you think the Americans will fire a Tomahawk at us now?"
In Gaza city, a middle-aged shopkeeper sat in his Turkish water pipe shop on Jala'a Street and condemned the attack. "It is unfortunate that something happened in Palestine," said Walid. "It's not good for our reputation. This action doesn't push our interests ahead, its a backward step."
Palestinians may resent US support for Israel, but they also admire the work of American citizens in their areas. There is an elite American run school in the Gaza Strip. Rachel Corrie, the young US volunteer who was killed earlier this year by an Israeli army bulldozer as she attempted to prevent the demolition of houses in southern Gaza, is regarded locally as a heroine.
"Reasonable people like me condemn this attack and don't like it," said Aladdin Saga, a local lawyer and former US resident who has brothers living in America. "If you ask any guy from the street they would say 'Yes, we should do that because Americans have been supporting Israel against us for many many years'."