A powerful explosion by a beach in the Gaza Strip has killed at least three Palestinians, including a young girl, Hamas officials and medics say.

At least 20 people were reportedly injured by the blast, which destroyed a car close to the coast in Gaza City.

Reports said the blast was the third in Gaza on Friday. Violence in the area has fallen since the militant group Hamas seized power in Gaza in 2007.

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The series of bombings amounted to one of the most serious outbreaks of deadly violence since Hamas took power.

Mysterious blasts

Earlier on Friday, a bombing outside a cafe in Gaza City killed one person and injured four others, Palestinian police reported.

The blast, just after midnight local time, caused extensive damage.

It was unclear why the area was bombed, but there have been attacks on internet cafes, music shops and Christian institutions in Gaza in recent months.

Police also reported a bombing near the home of Marwan Abu Ras, a Hamas official who issues fatwas, or religious edicts, in Gaza. No-one was injured.

The militant Hamas movement seized control of Gaza by force more than a year ago from the Fatah movement of Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority.

(BBC)

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