Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned on Tuesday the assassination attempt of Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah and head of intelligence Majid Faraj in the Gaza Strip, saying that “this crime was premeditated and its goals and perpetrators are known.” After immediately returning to Ramallah from a trip abroad, Abbas said that the bomb blast targeting the PM’s convoy was in line with the “suspicious goals of destroying the Palestinian national project … in order to create a suspicious Palestinian state in the Gaza Strip.” On Tuesday, Hamdallah was on his way to attend the inauguration of a wastewater treatment plant in the enclave when the attack took place. Abbas and Fatah Movement held Hamas responsible for the attack by accusing the “de facto” government in the Gaza Strip of being behind the explosion. A statement issued by the Palestinian presidency said that “whoever carried out this act directly serves the interest of the Israeli occupation, the main beneficiary from the division,” adding that Abbas will be holding several meetings in the coming days to discuss “this dangerous development.” However, Hamas rejected all the accusations and condemned the assassination attempt. The Movement also promised an "urgent" investigation and said several suspects have been arrested. Hamdallah and Faraj, who was with the prime minister in the convoy, were not hurt in the explosion. However, seven bodyguards were lightly injured. Immediately following the attack, the Prime Minister demanded that Hamas hand over internal security in Gaza, a step needed to establish a real government. Faraj described the attack as “a cowardly act aimed at harming national unity,” WAFA reported on Tuesday. There are several armed organizations and groups with internal and external links, that can be accused of orchestrating the crime. In Riyadh, an official source at the Foreign Ministry expressed the Kingdom’s condemnation of the bombing. The source said: "This attempt undermines all efforts deployed to achieve reconciliation among Palestinians and end factionalism."