Hamas, Fatah militants clash in central Gaza Strip

Source: Xinhuanet | 12-14-2006 08:23

GAZA, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Armed clash between the ruling Hamas movement and its rival Fatah movement erupted again in central Gaza Strip on Wednesday evening, wounding at least one Palestinian, local witnesses said.

They said that the clash broke out after a gunman hurled a homemade hand grenade at crowds of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) supporters who were demonstrating in the Nuseirat Refugee camp in central Gaza Strip against an earlier killing of a judge and a senior Hamas figure in southern Gaza Strip.

The explosion triggered immediately the exchange of fire between Hamas and Fatah militants, they added.

Earlier Wednesday, a 45-year old judge of a Palestinian court in southern Gaza Strip named Bassam el-Farra, who is also a member of Hamas movement, was shot dead by unknown gunmen on his way to the court in the city of Khan Younis.

The assassination against the Hamas member came two days after Monday's killing of three children of an intelligence officer loyal to Abbas, who is the head of Fatah.

Since then, the revenge killings between the two rival movements are running high in the Gaza Strip, where six Palestinians have been killed and eight others wounded in the spiralling wave of chaos.

Tensions between the two rival factions mounted amid disputes on the formation of the national unity government that aims to end the sanctions imposed by international community.

Editor:Du Xiaodan