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| By: Associated Press |
| Published: January 30, 2005 |
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A political rally by the militant Palestinian group Hamas turned violent Saturday, as supporters of the rival Fatah faction opened fire, sparking a melee that left more than 20 people wounded, Palestinian officials said.
The incident in the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza was the first instance of violence between rival Palestinian factions since the election of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in early January.
Abbas has been holding talks with rival political factions, including Hamas, in hopes of reaching a truce agreement between militants and Israel.
The shooting occurred at an outdoor rally staged by Hamas to celebrate its victory in municipal elections in Gaza earlier in the week. Hamas' strong showing dealt a setback to Abbas' dominant Fatah faction.
A Palestinian security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the violence broke out after several hundred Hamas supporters marched from the nearby Ansarat refugee camp to Maghazi, one of the few districts won by Fatah in Thursday's elections.
"You chose secularism. You should have chose Islam," the Hamas crowd chanted, angering a crowd of Fatah supporters who had gathered.
One of the Fatah supporters opened fire, seriously wounding one Hamas supporter in the chest and causing shrapnel wounds to four others, officials said. Some 17 other people were hurt by knives, clubs and beatings in the ensuing melee.
While rival Palestinian factions have sporadically fought one another, such instances of fighting are rare, with the various groups all saying they are committed to ending Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian security official said late Saturday that the clash had ended and leaders of the rival factions were meeting to reconcile their differences. |
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