Blast rocks Gaza jail

The explosion could have been a rocket propelled grenade

A explosion at a prison in Gaza City has injured at least seven Palestinians, officials say.

The cause of the explosion - which also damaged a Palestinian police building in the same compound - is not known.

But a Palestinian security statement suggested it was an attempt to assassinate Gaza Military Intelligence Colonel Moussa Arafat that had missed its target.

The statement said a rocket-propelled grenade fired at his office missed its target and hit the prison.

Col Arafat - a nephew of Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat - was not in his office at the time, the statement said.

The injured, who were taken to local hospitals, are not thought to be seriously hurt.

A Palestinian police officer said security forces were investigating the explosion.

"The situation is calm. We know that there have been some injuries as a result of this explosion," the officer, Moussa Abed Nabi, said.

Inmates at the jail, run by the Palestinian Authority, include criminals and people suspected of collaborating with Israeli intelligence.

Palestinians accused of violating a truce called by the three main militant groups last month are also held there.