GAZA CITY (AFP) — A gang of gunmen attacked the Gaza City premises of the YMCA before dawn on Friday and blew up its library, the head of the centre said.
Eissa Saba said the attack on the Young Men's Christian Association centre, which left thousands of books burned, was carried out by 14 masked men who overpowered two security guards and tied them up.
He said the men also broke into the YMCA office and stole a computer before placing another bomb, which did not explode.
The guards were later taken to the northern Gaza Strip, where they were freed.
The Gaza YMCA, which is also open to Muslims, also contains a school, a sports club and a hall for weddings.
The overwhelmingly Muslim-populated Gaza Strip has a small Christian minority of around 3,500 people, mostly Greek Orthodox.
The Islamist movement Hamas, which seized Gaza in June, condemned the bombing, saying it was an "attack on the historically friendly relations between Christians and Muslims in Palestine."
Rami Ayyad, manager of the only Christian bookstore in Gaza, was murdered in October, raising concerns among some Christians about their safety.
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