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Gaza tests its preparedness in case of sudden Israeli offensive

April 20, 2016 at 10:48 am

The Palestinian interior ministry in Gaza carried out on Tuesday a series of exercises to check its preparedness in the event of another Israeli attack.

Large explosions were heard in the main headquarters of the Palestinian police in central Gaza city in the morning.

In less than a minute, all the offices were evacuated and the main and valuable files and equipment were in safe places outside the buildings. The interior ministry’s paramedics rushed to the area and evacuated a number of police officers who pretended to be injured.

Other explosions were heard near the beach. Another one was heard in the centre of one of the busiest commercial places in Gaza. The police and firefighters rushed to the scene and practiced evacuating those inside.

The interior ministry warned the public about the exercises a day before they were carried out.

Spokesman of the Interior Ministry in Gaza Iyad al-Bozom said that these exercises were carried out to test the ability of the ministry staff to react to another Israeli offensive.