GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The blast that rocked the southern side of the French Consulate’s Cultural Center in Gaza on Dec. 12 was not as powerful as the first one that occurred on Oct. 7, when two successive explosions destroyed the fuel depot used to power the electricity generator.

Al-Monitor examined the ground floor and saw the gaping hole in the back wall caused by an explosive charge placed outside the security enclosure. The surrounding land is vacant, and infiltrating the premises to place a charge by the wall is easy. One of the French Center’s employees described this location as the “weakest security point at the center.”

It's at this exact location that the first blast occurred, when, that time around, the perpetrators jumped the fence and entered the center’s grounds. The same employee said, “No one was on duty then, except for the doorman who sleeps at the center. The security crew was on vacation; and, it would seem that the perpetrators had the center under surveillance and were aware of this.”

Soot covered the ground floor walls where the fire had spread. The damage was still being repaired, as a construction worker was mixing cement to resurface the walls. Next to him, one could see the wide-open gap caused by the new explosion in the perimeter wall.