World Bulletin/News Desk

A Fatah member has accused a "people's army" recently formed by Palestinian faction Hamas of carrying out a recent string of coordinated blasts targeting Fatah officials in the Gaza Strip, an accusation dismissed by Hamas.

"Fatah has proofs that the People's Army…had carried out the bombings," Tawfiq al-Tirawi, a member of Fatah's Central Committee, told Palestine TV.

On Friday, a series of coordinated bombings targeted the homes of some leading Fatah members in the Gaza Strip.

One of the bombs went off close to a stage set up for the planned event to mark the passage of ten years since the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

The People's Army was recently formed by the Ezzeddin Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, in preparation for future conflicts with Israel.

"Hamas knows that the People's Army had carried out the bombings," al-Tirawi said, going on to claim that Hamas was no longer able to rein in the "people's army" or bring former interior minister Fathi Hammad – whom he accused of being behind the blasts – to accountability.

Hamas, for its part, described the allegations as "lies".

"Tirawi's claims are an insult to Hamas leaders," spokesman Mushir al-Masri told Anadolu Agency.

"We reject these accusations," he said, going on to call on Fatah leaders to stop "creating more tension" in relations with Hamas.

Relations between Hamas and Fatah started to see slight improvement soon after the two factions signed a reconciliation deal in April, opening the door for the formation of a national unity cabinet a short time later.

The deal should have ended tensions between the two factions, ones that have persisted since 2007.