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| By Associated Press December 22, 2006 |
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A brief but ferocious gunbattle between Hamas and Fatah militants broke out in Gaza City early Friday, underscoring the fragility of a two-day-old truce between the rival factions. A Hamas militiaman injured in violence that touched off the shootout died of his wounds.
Separately, about a dozen Hamas and Fatah gunmen clashed in the Judea and Samaria (West Bank) town of Nablus later Friday. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
The street battle in Gaza City, which encompassed the house of Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar of Hamas and the Gaza residence of President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah, died down after about 20 minutes as Muslim clerics and other mediators worked to restore the cease-fire. Abbas was not in Gaza at the time.
Despite the scale and intensity of the fighting, no one was wounded, health officials said.
The violence broke out as Hamas militiamen tried to free two fighters, including a senior member of the Islamic group, who were kidnapped late Thursday.
In the tense atmosphere pervading Gaza, the firefight between Hamas and Fatah-affiliated militants who Hamas said were behind the abductions quickly spread out of control. Within minutes, it encompassed the presidential guard outside Abbas' house, other security officers in the area and the Hamas militiamen guarding Zahar's home and the nearby Foreign Ministry building.
Gunmen manning strategic positions on rooftops began shooting at others in the streets.
The presidential guard took up defensive positions behind newly built walls of sandbags and barriers of cement blocks outside Abbas' residence.
Hamas officials said the Fatah gunmen shot at Zahar's home.
One witness estimated that more than 2,000 bullets were fired in the first 10 minutes and several rocket-propelled grenades were also launched.
Residents of the neighborhood, the scene of other gunbattles over the past week, put their children in bathtubs for protection against stray bullets, residents said. Others tucked themselves in corners for safety.
A Hamas militiaman injured in the course of the kidnapping, Ayman Jirjawi, died of his wounds early Friday, said Islam Shahwan, a militia spokesman.
Hamas accused a Fatah-linked clan of carrying out the kidnapping to avenge the deaths of two clan members in factional fighting in Gaza last week. The fighting left 16 people dead and dozens injured before the truce took effect Tuesday night.
The latest outbreak of Palestinian infighting coincided with stepped-up Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel, in violation of a separate truce between militant factions and Israel.
One rocket was fired early Friday, in addition to six launched on Thursday. The attacks Thursday caused no injuries to Israelis, but wounded a 2-year-old Palestinian boy who was sleeping in his bedroom when a rocket veered off course, officials said.
The boy, Samir al-Masri, suffered two broken legs in the attack, said Dr. Said Judeh of Kamal Adwan hospital. The boy's 4-year-old sister and 3-year-old brother were lightly wounded by shrapnel, said their uncle, Jad al-Masri.
Another rocket hit a community center in the southern Israeli town of Sderot, causing some damage, the army said. Five other rockets landed in Israel, and the Islamic Jihad militant group claimed responsibility for many of them.
The latest rocket attacks threatened the truce between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza. Israeli officials say Palestinian militants have fired nearly 50 rockets since the Nov. 26 truce took effect. Israel has not retaliated, but Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned this week that his patience was wearing thin.
Abbas, a moderate, has repeatedly called for an end to rocket fire, saying they only invite harsh Israeli retaliation. |
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