Fatah, Hamas clash in Gaza
GAZA, May 8 (UPI) -- Prime Minister Ismail Hanniya condemned Hamas-Fatah fighting, ordering security forces to contain clashes in which three gunmen were killed and dozens injured.
Hanniya told a brief press conference Monday: "I have issued direct and strict orders to the minister of interior to take all possible measures to end tensions and stop bloodletting from spilling over from one place to another."
Hanniya, who heads the Hamas-led government, stressed "we are determined to contain, stop and find radical solutions for tensions and in that instance we call on the leaderships of Hamas and Fatah to end such incidents that hurt the Palestinian people."
Simmering tensions between the two rival groups broke to the surface at dawn Monday.
Describing the clashes as "most violent," Palestinian sources said the fighting broke out in Beit Lahya, east of Khan Younes, following kidnappings and counter-kidnapping by the two sides.
Fatah gunmen first kidnapped three Hamas militants following an argument, prompting the group's military wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, to abduct four gunmen from Fatah. The kidnap-victims were later released as a result of high-level contacts and mediation by the Popular Resistance Committees.
But a few hours later, the clashes broke out again more intensely, leading to the casualties. One Hamas and two Fatah militants were killed and dozens from the two sides were injured.
Tensions still prevailed in the area, where large numbers of gunmen took to the streets despite attempts by prominent figures in Khan Younes to re-establish order.
The armed confrontation was the most violent between the two rival groups since Hamas dealt a humiliating defeat to Fatah in January's elections, which it won with a landslide.
In Amman, Salim Zaanoun, head of the Palestinian National Council, or parliament in exile, denounced the clashes, which he described as a "violation of the national consensus and red lines and a challenge to Palestinian national principles."
Zaanoun called on the leaderships of the two groups to act "with great responsibility," stressing that "spilling Palestinian blood is prohibited."
Hanniya told a brief press conference Monday: "I have issued direct and strict orders to the minister of interior to take all possible measures to end tensions and stop bloodletting from spilling over from one place to another."
Hanniya, who heads the Hamas-led government, stressed "we are determined to contain, stop and find radical solutions for tensions and in that instance we call on the leaderships of Hamas and Fatah to end such incidents that hurt the Palestinian people."
Simmering tensions between the two rival groups broke to the surface at dawn Monday.
Describing the clashes as "most violent," Palestinian sources said the fighting broke out in Beit Lahya, east of Khan Younes, following kidnappings and counter-kidnapping by the two sides.
Fatah gunmen first kidnapped three Hamas militants following an argument, prompting the group's military wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, to abduct four gunmen from Fatah. The kidnap-victims were later released as a result of high-level contacts and mediation by the Popular Resistance Committees.
But a few hours later, the clashes broke out again more intensely, leading to the casualties. One Hamas and two Fatah militants were killed and dozens from the two sides were injured.
Tensions still prevailed in the area, where large numbers of gunmen took to the streets despite attempts by prominent figures in Khan Younes to re-establish order.
The armed confrontation was the most violent between the two rival groups since Hamas dealt a humiliating defeat to Fatah in January's elections, which it won with a landslide.
In Amman, Salim Zaanoun, head of the Palestinian National Council, or parliament in exile, denounced the clashes, which he described as a "violation of the national consensus and red lines and a challenge to Palestinian national principles."
Zaanoun called on the leaderships of the two groups to act "with great responsibility," stressing that "spilling Palestinian blood is prohibited."
posted by Marko at 5/08/2006 08:24:00 AM
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