Palestinian Authority condemns 'cowardly attack' on French cultural centre

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry on Saturday condemned the bombing that targeted the French cultural center in Gaza City on Friday.

The ministry said in a statement that the attack was due to the "strong political stance" taken by France.

The French cultural center in western Gaza City late Friday caught fire after an unexplained explosion went off inside the premises.

No casualties were reported.

While it did not accuse any party of orchestrating the bombing, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry vowed to investigate "the cowardly attack and bring perpetrators to justice".

It went on to describe the bombing as "an assault on the Palestinian culture and an affront to the strong friendship between France and the Palestinian leadership, government and people."

The fire from the blast damaged one of the walls and the building's facade, which also houses the local branch of the French consulate.

The incident marked the second bombing at the centre in recent months, after another explosion - reportedly caused by two faulty fuel tanks - rocked the building on 8 October.

"This was a cowardly attack and unfortunately the second incident of this sort in... two months," police spokesman Ayman Betjeni told AFP news agency on Friday.

"It seems as if there are elements who want to disturb Gaza's security and are targeting foreigners to intimidate them and give a bad image of Gaza."

Streets leading towards the centre were cordoned off following the blast.

Local officials said an investigation into the exact cause of the explosion was underway.

The blast came after the French Senate (upper house of parliament) on Thursday approved a resolution asking the government to recognize a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders in a symbolic, non-binding vote.