An explosion hit the convoy of Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah and the head of the General Intelligence Service, Maj. Gen. Majid Faraj, shortly after the vehicles entered the Gaza Strip through the Beit Hanoun crossing, also known as the Erez crossing, with Israel on March 13.

Mohammed Mansour, the undersecretary of the Ramallah-based Ministry of Interior, said in a statement March 14 to Palestinian national radio that the roadside bomb attack was the result of improvised explosive devices planted by professionals. Seven security guards suffered minor injuries, but Hamdallah was unharmed.

Shortly after the blast, during the inauguration of a sewage plant project in northern Gaza, Hamdallah said that three vehicles of his convoy were blown up. He left two hours after entering the coastal enclave.

The explosion stirred an array of reactions among Palestinians. Youssef al-Mahmoud, a spokesman for the Palestinian unity government, said that Hamas leaders had refused to receive Hamdallah in Gaza, which he argued was strong evidence of their involvement in what he called an assassination attempt.