THE militant Palestinian Islamic resistance movement Hamas was yesterday moving to quash an outbreak of violence in the Gaza Strip that left seven people dead.

A series of explosions on Friday, believed to be the work of Fatah, the largest faction of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, killed five senior Hamas members and a young girl.

The lethal bomb was planted at an intersection and detonated by remote control when a car carrying the five Hamas leaders drove past it. The blast killed all five instantly plus six-year-old Seren Safadi who was standing near the intersection.