Three Palestinians, including a police officer, were killed and
45 others wounded during a day of fierce clashes between the
Hamas-led interior ministry auxiliary force and security forces in
Gaza Strip, medics said.
Medics at Shiffa Hospital said that two civilians, one of them a
15-year-old teen, were among the three killed in the armed clashes
that spread to several parts in the Gaza Strip. Clashes erupted
between the two sides following a mounting tension and a war of
words and statements between the two big rival movements, ruling
Hamas and opposition Fatah in the Gaza Strip.
"Tension between Fatah and Hamas in Gaza increased after the two
big parties failed to agree on forming a national coalition
government to end the political and economical crisis in the
territories," said Ashraf el-Ajrami, an analyst from Gaza.
Eyewitnesses said that intensive gunfire had been heard in the
streets of Gaza City and southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis,
adding that ambulances were seen taking casualties to
hospitals.
"What we saw in the streets today was a real scene of a civil
war between Hamas and Fatah. Wise leaders of both movements should
immediately do their best to stop this war," said Khalid Safi,
a25-year-old eyewitness.
In a written statement sent to reporters, The al-Damir Institute
for Human Rights based in Gaza warned of the current situation and
of the ongoing security chaos in the Palestinian territories.
"If such security chaos goes on and gets escalated in the
Palestinian territories, a severe crisis is expected," said the
al-Damir statement, adding "the way the security forces were
protesting against the government was illegal."
On Thursday and Saturday, hundreds of unpaid police and security
officers took to the streets, burned tyres, blocked roads and fire
in the air, calling on the Hamas-led government and President
Mahmoud Abbas to pay them their dues.
On Saturday night, spokesman of the interior ministry Khaled Abu
Hilal announced in a news conference that interior minister Said
Siam gave clear instructions to the auxiliary force to end protests
by police and security forces.
On Sunday morning, hundreds of the Hamas-led interior ministry
forces redeployed in Gaza Strip towns and villages, including
densely populated Gaza City, a scene that had provoked other
protesting security and police forces.
"It is our legal and democratic right to demonstrate and express
our anger for not being able to feed our children for seven months.
It happens in every part of the world, but it never happens that
Hamas opens fire at starving people," a striking police officer
said.
Eyewitnesses said that dozes of Palestinian teens threw stones
at masked officers of the Hamas auxiliary force in Gaza City. They
were seen opening fire at stones throwers.
Tension between Fatah party and the ruling Islamic Hamas
movement had mounted after both President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime
Minister Ismail Haneya failed to form a Palestinian national
coalition government.
Meanwhile, the forces, controlled by Interior Minister Said Siam
of Hamas, set fire to the house of a prominent security officer
working for the Preventive Security Forces. Enditem
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(Xinhua News Agency October 2, 2006)
