Doc: 00325855 DB: research–d–2007–2 Date: Tue Jun 12 13:36:27 2007
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Copyright 2007 By The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) – Hamas official says forces have captured Fatah security headquarters in northern Gaza.
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Doc: 00331574 DB: research–d–2007–2 Date: Wed Jun 13 14:19:56 2007
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aD8PO3AJ00 06-13-2007 14:19:56*F BC-Israel-Palestinians-Q&A:Questions and a
Copyright 2007 By The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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Questions and answers about fighting between rival Palestinian forces in Gaza
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By The Associated Press
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) – Hamas battled to wrest control of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday from beleaguered Fatah forces in the latest and most brutal round of violence. Each side's supporters have hurled rivals from high-rise buildings, gunmen have roamed hospital wards looking to finish off wounded enemies and ordinary people have huddled at home, not daring to walk the streets.
Q. Why are Palestinians fighting each other in the Gaza Strip?
A. After the Fatah movement of moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was trounced in general elections by the militant Hamas movement last year, Abbas kept the main security forces under direct presidential control, prompting the Hamas-led government to put its own armed supporters on the streets. The spiraling power struggle between the two groups, fueled by clan rivalries in the tightly knit coastal strip, have since erupted in waves of bloodshed.
Q. How many people have died in the fighting?
A. Since May last year, more than 260 Palestinians have died in factional fighting, at least 150 in the past month. Most of the casualties were armed members of the rival forces, but many bystanders have also been killed.
Q. What are the relative strengths of the two sides ?
A. Hamas and Fatah fighters appear about evenly matched in the Gaza Strip, and fought to a draw in previous exchanges over the past year. Hamas, which commands roughly 20,000 armed men, has more firepower and better organization, while Fatah has more personnel, though an exact count is difficult.
Q. What is Israel doing and what are its options?
A. Israel does not want to be seen to be involved. Given that most Palestinians regard Israel as the enemy, it seeks to avoid an overt role. It has, however, discreetly been facilitating a resupply of arms and ammunition to Abbas' forces. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert favors deployment of a multinational force along Gaza's border with Egypt to prevent arms from reaching the militants.
A Hamas victory in Gaza, however, could force Israel's hand. Already, Hamas has fired hundreds of rockets at Israeli border towns, and a Hamas-controlled Gaza would likely give the rocket squads there freer rein. Israel could be forced to retaliate harshly to protect its civilians.
More dramatic steps, such as cutting off water and electricity supplies to Gaza, which has a densely packed population of 1.3 million, would create an uproar in the international community. Israeli hardliners are calling for a reoccupation of the entire territory, which troops and settlers left in 2005.
Associated Press Writer
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aD8PNIQ081 06-12-2007 19:32:17*F BC-Palestinians-Hospitals:Hospitals become
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Hospitals become battleground in Gaza fighting, threatening medics and patients
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By SARAH EL DEEB
Associated Press Writer
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) – With gunmen using their rooftops as sniper positions and doctors and nurses afraid to come to work, Gaza's hospitals are finding themselves on the front lines of the Palestinians' increasingly bloody internal fight.
Of eight hospitals in the violent coastal territory, one shut down after three people were killed there. The others are understaffed and face constant harassment by militants, even as more casualties are carried in needing treatment.
Gunmen from the rival Fatah and Hamas movements are engaged in a battle for power that has left dozens dead and wounded in Gaza in the last month.
"We ourselves are not secure. How can we look after the lives of others?" said Ayed al-Wahidi, a doctor at Shifa Hospital, Gaza's largest medical center.
An ambulance came under fire Monday after the hospital dispatched it to pick up a trauma specialist as fighting raged on the grounds, al-Wahidi said. The doctor eventually made it. But other medics have not been able to get to work, leaving the hospital barely able to handle the relentless stream of casualties.
Wessam Awadallah, another doctor at Shifa, said the hospital needed 50 doctors to treat all the wounded Tuesday, but only 20 were on duty.
Masked men have also been roaming the corridors of the hospital, occasionally clashing with each other. "We don't know who they are or who they are fighting," Awadallah said. "There will come a moment when we will not be able to treat anyone and let them die."
In the European Hospital in the town of Khan Yunis, Hamas-affiliated security guards used the hospital's roof as a staging ground for an assault on a nearby Fatah position on Tuesday, said Atta al-Jaabari, the head of nursing.
The assault frightened the medical staff and children at a kindergarten on the grounds, he said. Afterward, the hospital sent home all nonessential staff and patients whose lives were not in danger. But the doctors and nurses remained.
"We can't go. Who would we leave the sick people to?" al-Jaabari said.
In the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun, a hospital shut down entirely after three people were shot dead on Monday, medical officials told The Associated Press. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, one was killed in the operating room.
The Red Cross demanded the Palestinian groups distance the fighting from Gaza's hospitals.
"The ICRC reminds all sides involved in the fighting that attacks on medical institutions, their patients and their staff are serious violations of international humanitarian law," the aid organization said Tuesday.
Unable to take control of the streets, officials of the Palestinian Authority, nominally governed by a Fatah-Hamas coalition, could only issue calls for restraint.
Anan Masri, the deputy health minister, called on the militants to "stay away from the health departments that are serving all the citizens."
Associated Press Writer
AP Photo JRL103, JRL108, JRL102
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URGENT
Hamas captures Fatah's security headquarters in northern Gaza; cease-fire calls ignored
Eds: UPDATES with Hamas capturing Fatah headquarters.
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By DIAA HADID
Associated Press Writer
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GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) – Hamas gunmen captured the headquarters of the Fatah-allied security forces in northern Gaza, seizing control of a key prize in the bloody power struggle between the sides, Hamas and Fatah officials said.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah said Tuesday's fighting amounted to a coup attempt by the Islamic militants.
Hamas attacked the compound with mortars and automatic gunfire, and after several hours of battle, seized control, said Hamas commander Wael al-Shakra. A Fatah security official confirmed the building had been lost. He said at least 10 people were killed and 30 wounded.
Security commanders loyal to Abbas complained they were not given clear orders to fight back at a time when Hamas appeared to be moving forward according to a plan.
Abbas' Fatah movement was to meet later in the day to decide whether to pull out of his shaky coalition with Hamas. Calls by Abbas and exasperated Egyptian mediators for a cease-fire went unheeded.
Instead, Hamas and Fatah militants threatened to kill each other's leaders. In Gaza, a rocket-propelled grenade damaged the home of Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas but caused no injuries in what Hamas said was an attempted assassination. In the West Bank, Fatah gunmen kidnapped a deputy Cabinet minister from Hamas.
Associated Press Writer
AP Photo AKCF111, AKCF110, AKCF106
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aD8PNRE300 06-13-2007 05:21:16* BC-Israel-Palestinians:Hamas seizes contro
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Hamas seizes control of main Gaza road, 6 militants die in heavy clashes
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By DIAA HADID
Associated Press Writer
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) – Fierce battles over key security positions spread to central Gaza Wednesday, with Hamas fighters wresting control of the coastal strip's north-south road – and putting themselves in position to cut off reinforcements to beleaguered Fatah forces.
Gunmen also fought for control of high-rise buildings in Gaza City that serve as sniper positions. Six militants died in clashes near the besieged house of a senior Fatah commander in Gaza City, besides four killed there on Tuesday, Hamas said. Two other people died of wounds sustained in earlier fighting.
Violence in Gaza this week between the two factions, which nominally share power in the Palestinian government, has been spiraling in the direction of all-out civil war, with more than 50 reported killed since Monday.
Confrontations have turned increasingly brutal in recent days, with some killed execution-style in the streets, others in hospital shootouts or thrown off rooftops. Both sides have been arming themselves in recent weeks, smuggling weapons through tunnels under the Gaza-Egypt border.
Hamas has been systematically taking control of major positions in the north and south, apparently leaving Gaza City, the strip's security and political nerve center, for the last.
Shops in Gaza City were shuttered on Wednesday, and streets were empty as terrified residents huddled in homes that could at any moment turn into battlegrounds, The U.N. Relief and Works Agency announced it couldn't distribute food to the 30 percent of the Gaza Strip that relies on international food aid.
A mortar shell hit the home of a deputy Cabinet minister from Hamas in the Shati refugee camp on the outskirts of Gaza City, setting it aflame, security officials said.
On Tuesday, Hamas gunmen scored a key victory when they overran the headquarters of a Fatah-allied security force in northern Gaza. For hours, about 200 Hamas fighters fired mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns at the compound, where some 500 Fatah loyalists were holed up and returned fire.
Thirty-five jeeps full of Fatah fighters were sent as reinforcements, but never made it through Hamas roadblocks. After nightfall, Hamas seized control.
Hamas reported another strategic win on Wednesday, saying it seized a Fatah post on the main north-south road, where security forces often stopped cars carrying Hamas loyalists. Hamas said it brought a bulldozer to flatten the post, which consisted of a mobile home and several shacks.
Hamas also seized control Wednesday of a Fatah post on Gaza's coastal road – another main artery for reinforcing Fatah troops.
Hamas and Fatah have waged a power struggle in fits and spurts for the past year since Hamas won parliament elections, ending four decades of Fatah rule. On Tuesday, Hamas signaled it was moving into a decisive phase. It ignored pleas by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian mediators to honor a cease-fire and appeared to be moving ahead according to a plan.
In contrast, Fatah commanders complained they were not given clear orders by Abbas to fight back and that they had no central command. Fatah's strongman in Gaza, Mohammed Dahlan, has spent the last few weeks in Cairo for treatment of a knee injury. Other leading Fatah officials left Gaza for the West Bank after previous rounds of bloodshed.
"There's a difference between leading on the ground and leading by mobile phone," police Col. Nasser Khaldi said of Dahlan's absence. "Hamas is just taking over our positions. There are no orders."
The power struggle escalated further Tuesday when Fatah suspended the activities of its ministers in the government it shares with Hamas. In an emergency meeting in the West Bank, the movement warned it would pull out of the government if the fighting doesn't stop, said Nabil Abu Rdeneh, an aide to Fatah's leader, the moderate President Abbas.
There was concern that fighting might spread to the West Bank, where Fatah has the upper hand, as Hamas rang up victories in Gaza. Late Tuesday, Fatah gunmen wounded four Hamas activists in the West Bank city of Nablus, Fatah said in a statement.
In Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert proposed stationing international forces along the Gaza Strip's volatile border with Egypt to prevent arms from reaching Palestinian militants, including Hamas. However, he ruled out assistance to Abbas' forces.
The State Department and the Consulate in Jerusalem, warning of a "very dangerous security situation" in Gaza, advised journalists not to travel there. They also urged any American journalists there to leave.
Even before the current outbreak of violence, no Western correspondents were based in Gaza. As the violence escalated this week, most reporters were staying off the streets, covering the conflict from the windows of high-rise buildings and keeping in touch with sources by telephone.
Associated Press Writer
AP Photo JRL103, JRL108, JRL102
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Hamas captures Fatah's security headquarters in northern Gaza; cease-fire calls ignored
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Eds: Restores background.
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By DIAA HADID
Associated Press Writer
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) – Hamas gunmen captured the headquarters of the Fatah-allied security forces in northern Gaza, seizing control of a key prize in the bloody power struggle between the sides, Hamas and Fatah officials said.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah said Tuesday's fighting amounted to a coup attempt by the Islamic militants.
Hamas attacked the compound with mortars and automatic gunfire, and after several hours of battle, seized control, said Hamas commander Wael al-Shakra. A Fatah security official confirmed the building had been lost. He said at least 10 people were killed and 30 wounded.
Security commanders loyal to Abbas complained they were not given clear orders to fight back at a time when Hamas appeared to be moving forward according to a plan.
Abbas' Fatah movement was to meet later in the day to decide whether to pull out of his shaky coalition with Hamas. Calls by Abbas and exasperated Egyptian mediators for a cease-fire went unheeded.
Instead, Hamas and Fatah militants threatened to kill each other's leaders. In Gaza, a rocket-propelled grenade damaged the home of Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas but caused no injuries in what Hamas said was an attempted assassination. In the West Bank, Fatah gunmen kidnapped a deputy Cabinet minister from Hamas.
Hamas gunmen also exchanged fire with Fatah forces at the southern security headquarters in the southern town of Khan Younis, but had not yet launched a major assault. The town's streets were empty as people huddled indoors.
Col. Nasser Khaldi, a Fatah commander in southern Gaza, confirmed his men were on the defensive. Khaldi said Abbas, the leader of Fatah, must give orders now to fight back.
"There is a weakness of our leaders," he said. "Hamas is just taking over our positions. There are no orders."
Pro-Fatah forces attacked the Hamas-run Al-Aqsa TV and radio stations in Gaza City after security officials said they received orders to stop the broadcasts. Shortly after the attack, they started broadcasting pro-Fatah songs, a sign the security forces had taken control.
Hamas and Fatah have been locked in a violent power struggle since Hamas defeated Fatah in January 2006 legislative elections, ending four decades of Fatah rule.
The sides agreed to share power in an uneasy coalition three months ago, but put off key disputes, including control of the security forces. Most are dominated by Fatah loyalists, while Hamas has formed its own militia, in addition to the thousands of gunmen at its command.
The infighting has grown increasingly brutal. Some of those killed were shot execution-style or hit in shootouts that turned hospitals into battle grounds, while others were thrown from rooftops. Residents huddled indoors, and university exams were canceled.
The head of the Egyptian mediation team, Lt. Col. Burhan Hamad, said neither side responded to his call to hold truce talks. "It seems they don't want to come. We must make them ashamed of themselves. They have killed all hope. They have killed the future," said Hamad, who brokered several previous short-lived cease-fires.
Hamad said both sides were about equal in firepower. "Neither can have a decisive victory," he said. "To be decisive, they need weapons that neither side has."
Associated Press Writer
AP Photo JRL134, JRL139, JRL138
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Hamas victory in Gaza would create 2-headed Palestine, set stage for confrontation with Israel
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An AP News Analysis
By KARIN LAUB
Associated Press Writer
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) – A Hamas military victory in Gaza would create a two-headed Palestine – with the Islamic extremists in control in the coastal strip and Western-backed Fatah ruling the West Bank.
It could also set the stage for a bloody confrontation with Israel, and strengthen radical states in the Middle East.
"It's a lose-lose situation for the Palestinians and Israel," said Uzi Dayan, former head of Israel's National Security Council.
The battle for Gaza isn't over. But Hamas militiamen have gained the upper hand, systematically seizing positions of Fatah-allied forces, taking control of the streets and bragging they'll keep going.
Fatah's fighters outnumber the Hamas militia, but have less firepower and lack motivation and leadership. Gaza's Fatah strongman Mohammed Dahlan is getting medical treatment abroad, and the head of Fatah, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, is increasingly perceived as timid and indecisive.
Perhaps that's because Abbas has no enticing choices.
Even if he were to order a Fatah offensive in Gaza – and there is no sign he's planning to do so – his demoralized forces may no longer be able to turn the tide. Fatah's threat to pull out of its coalition government with Hamas, formed three months ago, is largely meaningless because Abbas appears too weak to call early elections.
The most likely scenario is a divided Palestine, with Hamas running Gaza and Fatah the West Bank, where Hamas is relatively weak because of continued Israeli control.
The two territories, which lie on either side of Israel, are cut off from each other by strict Israeli travel bans imposed at the start of the second Palestinian uprising in 2000. Rival governments in the West Bank and Gaza would finalize that split, and push prospects of a Palestinian state even further away.
Efforts to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, including a recent push by moderate Arab states, would be dealt a big blow because Abbas could no longer claim to represent all Palestinians and would lose his credibility as negotiating partner.
Instead, a Hamas-run Gaza would likely seal the coastal strip's pariah status and Israel could well block the borders, leading to a deeper humanitarian crisis. Already, two-thirds of Gazans live in poverty amid a punishing international aid boycott imposed after Hamas won parliamentary elections last year.
Israel's options also are grim.
A Hamas victory in Gaza would put an Iranian-backed militia not just on Israel's northern border, but also its southern one. In last summer's indecisive war against Iranian-armed Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon, Israel was pounded by thousands of rockets that forced hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee.
Iran also has been arming Hamas, via smuggling tunnels under the Egypt-Gaza border, and a Hamas-controlled Gaza would likely give rocket squads freer rein. Already, Hamas militants have fired hundreds of rockets at Israeli border towns.
Israel would be forced to retaliate harshly to protect its civilians, despite the fact that previous military incursions into the densely populated territory have failed to halt the rocket fire. More dramatic steps, such as cutting off water and electricity to Gaza, would likely create an uproar in the international community.
"They (Hamas militants) can create serious instability for us, and we are limited in our ability to retaliate," said Hirsh Goodman, an analyst at the Israeli Institute for National Security Studies. "The situation puts us between a rock and a hard place."
Israeli defense officials said Wednesday that Israel would not intervene in Gaza for now. Only if Hamas took over and started attacking Israel, would Israel strike back, the officials said.
In a sign of Israel exploring ways out of the dilemma, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Tuesday floated the idea of an international force on the Gaza-Egypt border, a show of no confidence in Egypt's abilities to stop the flow of arms.
The offensive in Gaza is driven by Hamas hard-liners, led by former Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar and Hamas' military wing, Izzedine al-Qassam. It's not clear, however, how much direction they are getting from Iran, Syria or from Hamas' exiled supreme leader, Khaled Mashaal. The movement's pragmatists, including Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, have been largely silent in recent days.
Hamas has not said how far it's planning to take the fight, and may not have thought it through.
Even a takeover of all security positions would not translate into complete control of Gaza – Fatah remains a strong political movement and its gunmen could try to regroup and wage guerrilla war against the new rulers.
"Hamas must recognize that its victory is going to be its defeat," said Mouin Rabbani, an analyst with the International Crisis Group, an independent think tank. "It can't control all the Palestinian Authority institutions in all the territories."
–––
Karin Laub is AP's chief Ramallah correspondent and has covered Israel and the Palestinian territories since 1987.
Associated Press Writer
AP Photo JRL150, JRL161, JRL155, JRL151
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Doc: 00326726 DB: research–d–2007–2 Date: Tue Jun 12 16:22:02 2007
Alert Categories: def kcr law med tra wie
Profiler Categories: Crime Defense Law Medical Travel Wiesen
*** Version history. (* this story, F final, S semifinal) ***
aD8PN4J7G3 06-12-2007 03:22:06 BC-Israel-Palestinians:Rocket-propelled gr
aD8PN6FIO0 06-12-2007 05:30:51 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 1st Ld-Writethru:R
aD8PN7MFO1 06-12-2007 06:53:51 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 2nd Ld-Writethru:R
aD8PN9NEG2 06-12-2007 09:12:26 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 3rd Ld-Writethru:G
aD8PNB3HG0 06-12-2007 10:46:30 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 4th Ld-Writethru:H
aD8PNBFOG2 06-12-2007 11:12:34 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 5th Ld-Writethru:H
aD8PNDLCG0 06-12-2007 13:41:06 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 6th Ld:Hamas captu
aD8PNDQDO0 06-12-2007 13:51:51 S BC-Israel-Palestinians, 7th Ld-Writethru:H
aD8PNG0QG1 06-12-2007 16:22:02* BC-Israel-Palestinians, 8th Ld-Writethru:H
aD8PNGG582 06-12-2007 16:54:45 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 9th Ld-Writethru:H
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aD8PNN4SO2 06-13-2007 00:28:35 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 12th Ld-Writethru:
aD8PNNDKO0 06-13-2007 00:47:15 F BC-Israel-Palestinians, 13th Ld-Writethru:
Copyright 2007 By The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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Hamas fighters seize Fatah security headquarters in northern Gaza; 37 killed in 2 days
1107
Eds: AMs.
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By SARAH EL DEEB
Associated Press Writer
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) – Hundreds of Hamas fighters firing rockets and mortar shells captured the headquarters of the Fatah-allied security forces in northern Gaza on Tuesday, scoring a key victory in the bloody battle for control of the seaside strip.
Both sides said Gaza had descended into civil war, as the death toll from two days of fighting reached 37.
Tuesday's battles marked a turning point, with Hamas moving systematically to seize Fatah positions in what some in the Islamic militant group said would be a decisive phase in the yearlong power struggle. The confrontations turned increasingly brutal in recent days, with some killed execution-style in the streets, others in hospital shootouts or thrown off rooftops.
President Mahmoud Abbas accused the Islamic militants of trying to stage a coup, and leaders of his Fatah movement urged him to declare a state of emergency.
A survivor of the Hamas assault on the northern security headquarters said the Fatah forces were outgunned and reinforcements never arrived. "We were pounded with mortar, mortar, mortar," the Fatah fighter, who only gave his first name, Amjad, said, breathing heavily. "They had no mercy. It was boom, boom. They had rockets that could reach almost half of the compound."
Battles raged across the Gaza Strip during the day. The staccato of gunfire echoed across Gaza City, plumes of smoke rose into the air from far-flung neighborhoods and one firefight sent a dozen preschoolers scrambling for cover.
In one desperate attempt to boost morale, disorganized Fatah forces attacked Hamas' main TV station, but were repelled after a heavy battle.
Many Gazans, pinned down in their homes, were furious with the combatants. "Both Fatah and Hamas are leading us to death and destruction," said Ayya Khalil, 29, whose husband serves as an intelligence officer. "They don't care about us."
In the West Bank, Abbas was meeting with Fatah movement leaders, some of whom urged him to leave the coalition government with Hamas, established three months ago, declare a state of emergency, which would give him sweeping powers, or call early elections.
Fatah ministers decided at the meeting to suspend participation in the unity government until fighting stops, Fatah-affiliated government spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeneh said late Tuesday.
In Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert proposed stationing international forces along the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt to prevent arms from reaching Palestinian militants, including Hamas. However, he ruled out assistance to Abbas' forces.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for an immediate halt to the violence and urged all sides to support Abbas.
Hamas and Fatah have waged a power struggle in fits and spurts since Hamas won parliamentary elections in January 2006, and Hamas signaled that the fighting was moving into a decisive phase. It ignored pleas by Abbas and exasperated Egyptian mediators to honor a cease-fire.
"Decisiveness will be in the field," said Islam Shahwan, spokesman for the Hamas military wing.
In contrast, Fatah commanders complained they were not given clear orders by Abbas to fight back and that they had no central command. Fatah's strongman in Gaza, Mohammed Dahlan, has spent the last few weeks in Cairo because of a knee injury. Other leading Fatah officials left Gaza for the West Bank after previous rounds of bloodshed.
"There's a difference between leading on the ground and leading by mobile phone," police Col. Nasser Khaldi said of Dahlan's absence. "Hamas is just taking over our positions. There are no orders."
Both sides have been arming themselves in recent weeks, smuggling weapons through tunnels from Egypt.
Abbas accused Hamas leaders of trying to seize control of Gaza by force.
The headquarters of the Fatah-allied security forces in northern Gaza, a key prize for Hamas, was taken by the Islamic militants after several hours of battle. Some 200 Hamas fighters had fired mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns at the compound, where some 500 Fatah loyalists were holed up and returned fire. Thirty-five jeeploads of Fatah fighters were sent as reinforcements. After nightfall, Hamas seized control, said a Hamas commander, Wael al-Shakra.
A Fatah security official confirmed the building had been lost. At least 12 people were killed and 30 wounded in the fighting.
Earlier, Hamas fighters also overran several smaller Fatah positions in Gaza.
Hamas gunmen also exchanged fire with Fatah forces at the southern security headquarters in the town of Khan Younis, but did not launch a major assault there. The town's streets were empty as people huddled inside. One Hamas man was killed, according to Hamas and medical officials.
In Gaza City, Hamas fired mortars and explosives at the pro-Fatah Preventive Security headquarters, drawing return fire from watchtowers in the compound. Elsewhere, Fatah fighters killed four Hamas gunmen in a battle near the besieged house of a senior Fatah commander.
Hamas and Fatah have been at odds since the Hamas election victory ended four decades of Fatah rule.
The sides agreed to share power in an uneasy coalition three months ago, but put off key disputes, including control over the security forces. Most of the forces are dominated by Fatah loyalists, while Hamas has formed its own militia and has thousands of gunmen at its command.
Beverley Milton-Edwards, a Hamas expert at Queens University in Belfast, Northern Ireland, said Gaza is heading for a final showdown. "This has become the existential battle for the soul of the Palestinian people," Milton-Edwards said.
Brutality has gown in recent days, with people shot at close range in street executions. On Sunday, a member of Abbas' presidential guard, Mohammed Sweirki of Fatah, was kidnapped and hurled off a 15-story apartment building, followed a few hours later by the killing of a Hamas fighter, Abu Kainas, thrown from the roof of a 12-story building in apparent retaliation. In all, more than 80 people have been killed since mid-May, most of them militants.
The State Department and the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem, warning of a "very dangerous security situation," advised journalists not to travel to Gaza. They also urged journalists to leave.
Associated Press Writer
AP Photo JRL150, JRL161, JRL155, JRL151
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Doc: 00326920 DB: research–d–2007–2 Date: Tue Jun 12 16:54:45 2007
Alert Categories: def kcr law med tra wie
Profiler Categories: Crime Defense Law Medical Travel Wiesen
*** Version history. (* this story, F final, S semifinal) ***
aD8PN4J7G3 06-12-2007 03:22:06 BC-Israel-Palestinians:Rocket-propelled gr
aD8PN6FIO0 06-12-2007 05:30:51 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 1st Ld-Writethru:R
aD8PN7MFO1 06-12-2007 06:53:51 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 2nd Ld-Writethru:R
aD8PN9NEG2 06-12-2007 09:12:26 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 3rd Ld-Writethru:G
aD8PNB3HG0 06-12-2007 10:46:30 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 4th Ld-Writethru:H
aD8PNBFOG2 06-12-2007 11:12:34 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 5th Ld-Writethru:H
aD8PNDLCG0 06-12-2007 13:41:06 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 6th Ld:Hamas captu
aD8PNDQDO0 06-12-2007 13:51:51 S BC-Israel-Palestinians, 7th Ld-Writethru:H
aD8PNG0QG1 06-12-2007 16:22:02 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 8th Ld-Writethru:H
aD8PNGG582 06-12-2007 16:54:45* BC-Israel-Palestinians, 9th Ld-Writethru:H
aD8PNGTRO5 06-12-2007 17:23:59 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 10th Ld-Writethru:
aD8PNK6GG0 06-12-2007 21:07:14 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 11th Ld-Writethru:
aD8PNN4SO2 06-13-2007 00:28:35 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 12th Ld-Writethru:
aD8PNNDKO0 06-13-2007 00:47:15 F BC-Israel-Palestinians, 13th Ld-Writethru:
Copyright 2007 By The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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Hamas fighters seize Fatah security headquarters in northern Gaza; 37 killed in 2 days
1107
Eds: AMs. UPDATES with captured fighters shown on TV, fighting in West Bank, too dangerous for journalists to move about in Gaza.
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By SARAH EL DEEB
Associated Press Writer
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) – Hundreds of Hamas fighters firing rockets and mortar shells captured the headquarters of the Fatah-allied security forces in northern Gaza on Tuesday, scoring a key victory in the bloody battle for control of the seaside strip.
Both sides said Gaza had descended into civil war, as the death toll from two days of Palestinian fighting reached 37.
Tuesday's battles marked a turning point, with Hamas moving systematically to seize Fatah positions in what some in the Islamic militant group said would be a decisive phase in the yearlong power struggle. The confrontations became increasingly brutal in recent days, with some killed execution-style in the streets, others in hospital shootouts or thrown off rooftops.
The conflict escalated further when the Fatah central committee decided to suspend the activities of its ministers in the government it shares with Hamas. In an emergency meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Fatah decided on a full withdrawal if the fighting doesn't stop, said government spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeneh.
President Mahmoud Abbas accused the Islamic militants of Hamas of trying to stage a coup.
A survivor of the Hamas assault on the northern security headquarters said the Fatah forces were outgunned and reinforcements never arrived. "We were pounded with mortar, mortar, mortar," the Fatah fighter, who only gave his first name, Amjad, said, breathing heavily. "They had no mercy. It was boom, boom. They had rockets that could reach almost half of the compound."
Battles raged across the Gaza Strip during the day. The staccato of gunfire echoed across Gaza City, plumes of smoke rose into the air from far-flung neighborhoods and one firefight sent a dozen preschoolers scrambling for cover.
In one desperate attempt to boost morale, disorganized Fatah forces attacked Hamas' main TV station, but were repelled after a heavy battle.
The Hamas TV station later showed a group of captured men it said were among the attackers, blood streaming down their faces.
Many Gazans, pinned down in their homes, were furious with the combatants. "Both Fatah and Hamas are leading us to death and destruction," said Ayya Khalil, 29, whose husband serves as an intelligence officer. "They don't care about us."
There was concern the fighting might spread to the West Bank, where Fatah has the upper hand, as Hamas notched victories in Gaza. Late Tuesday, Fatah gunmen wounded four Hamas activists in the West Bank city of Nablus, Fatah said in a statement.
In Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert proposed stationing international forces along the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt to prevent arms from reaching Palestinian militants, including Hamas. However, he ruled out assistance to Abbas' forces.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for an immediate halt to the violence and urged all sides to support Abbas.
Hamas and Fatah have waged a power struggle in fits and spurts since Hamas won parliamentary elections in January 2006, and Hamas signaled that the fighting was moving into a decisive phase. It ignored pleas by Abbas and exasperated Egyptian mediators to honor a cease-fire.
"Decisiveness will be in the field," said Islam Shahwan, spokesman for the Hamas military wing.
In contrast, Fatah commanders complained they were not given clear orders by Abbas to fight back and that they had no central command. Fatah's strongman in Gaza, Mohammed Dahlan, has spent the last few weeks in Cairo because of a knee injury. Other leading Fatah officials left Gaza for the West Bank after previous rounds of bloodshed.
"There's a difference between leading on the ground and leading by mobile phone," police Col. Nasser Khaldi said of Dahlan's absence. "Hamas is just taking over our positions. There are no orders."
Both sides have been arming themselves in recent weeks, smuggling weapons through tunnels from Egypt.
Abbas accused Hamas leaders of trying to seize control of Gaza by force.
The headquarters of the Fatah-allied security forces in northern Gaza, a key prize for Hamas, was taken by the Islamic militants after several hours of battle. Some 200 Hamas fighters had fired mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns at the compound, where some 500 Fatah loyalists were holed up and returned fire. Thirty-five jeeploads of Fatah fighters were sent as reinforcements. After nightfall, Hamas seized control, said a Hamas commander, Wael al-Shakra.
A Fatah security official confirmed the building had been lost. At least 12 people were killed and 30 wounded in the fighting.
Earlier, Hamas fighters also overran several smaller Fatah positions in Gaza.
Hamas gunmen also exchanged fire with Fatah forces at the southern security headquarters in the town of Khan Younis, but did not launch a major assault there. The town's streets were empty as people huddled inside. One Hamas man was killed, according to Hamas and medical officials.
In Gaza City, Hamas fired mortars and explosives at the pro-Fatah Preventive Security headquarters, drawing return fire from watchtowers in the compound. Elsewhere, Fatah fighters killed four Hamas gunmen in a battle near the besieged house of a senior Fatah commander.
The State Department and the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem, warning of a "very dangerous security situation," advised journalists not to travel to Gaza and urged any there to leave.
Even before the current outbreak of violence, no Western correspondents were based in Gaza. As the violence escalated this week, most journalists were staying off the streets, covering the conflict from the windows of high-rise buildings and keeping in touch with their sources by telephone.
Hamas and Fatah have been at odds since the Hamas election victory ended four decades of Fatah rule.
The sides agreed to share power in an uneasy coalition three months ago, but put off key disputes, including control over the security forces. Most of the forces are dominated by Fatah loyalists, while Hamas has formed its own militia and has thousands of gunmen at its command.
Beverley Milton-Edwards, a Hamas expert at Queens University in Belfast, Northern Ireland, said Gaza is heading for a final showdown. "This has become the existential battle for the soul of the Palestinian people," Milton-Edwards said.
Brutality has grown in recent days, with people shot at close range in street executions. On Sunday, a member of Abbas' presidential guard, Mohammed Sweirki of Fatah, was kidnapped and hurled off a 15-story apartment building, followed a few hours later by the killing of a Hamas fighter, Abu Kainas, thrown from the roof of a 12-story building in apparent retaliation. In all, more than 80 people have been killed since mid-May, most of them militants.
Associated Press Writer
AP Photo JRL150, JRL161, JRL155, JRL151
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Doc: 00327083 DB: research–d–2007–2 Date: Tue Jun 12 17:23:59 2007
*** Version history. (* this story, F final, S semifinal) ***
aD8PN4J7G3 06-12-2007 03:22:06 BC-Israel-Palestinians:Rocket-propelled gr
aD8PN6FIO0 06-12-2007 05:30:51 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 1st Ld-Writethru:R
aD8PN7MFO1 06-12-2007 06:53:51 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 2nd Ld-Writethru:R
aD8PN9NEG2 06-12-2007 09:12:26 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 3rd Ld-Writethru:G
aD8PNB3HG0 06-12-2007 10:46:30 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 4th Ld-Writethru:H
aD8PNBFOG2 06-12-2007 11:12:34 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 5th Ld-Writethru:H
aD8PNDLCG0 06-12-2007 13:41:06 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 6th Ld:Hamas captu
aD8PNDQDO0 06-12-2007 13:51:51 S BC-Israel-Palestinians, 7th Ld-Writethru:H
aD8PNG0QG1 06-12-2007 16:22:02 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 8th Ld-Writethru:H
aD8PNGG582 06-12-2007 16:54:45 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 9th Ld-Writethru:H
aD8PNGTRO5 06-12-2007 17:23:59* BC-Israel-Palestinians, 10th Ld-Writethru:
aD8PNK6GG0 06-12-2007 21:07:14 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 11th Ld-Writethru:
aD8PNN4SO2 06-13-2007 00:28:35 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 12th Ld-Writethru:
aD8PNNDKO0 06-13-2007 00:47:15 F BC-Israel-Palestinians, 13th Ld-Writethru:
Copyright 2007 By The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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1107
Eds: AMs. ADDS attacks on Haniyeh's home and Abbas' office in Gaza.
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By SARAH EL DEEB
Associated Press Writer
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) – Hundreds of Hamas fighters firing rockets and mortar shells captured the headquarters of the Fatah-allied security forces in northern Gaza on Tuesday, scoring a key victory in the bloody battle for control of the seaside strip.
Both sides said Gaza had descended into civil war, as the death toll from two days of Palestinian fighting reached 37.
Tuesday's battles marked a turning point, with Hamas moving systematically to seize Fatah positions in what some in the Islamic militant group said would be a decisive phase in the yearlong power struggle. The confrontations became increasingly brutal in recent days, with some killed execution-style in the streets, others in hospital shootouts or thrown off rooftops.
The conflict escalated further when the Fatah central committee decided to suspend the activities of its ministers in the government it shares with Hamas. In an emergency meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Fatah decided on a full withdrawal if the fighting doesn't stop, said government spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeneh.
President Mahmoud Abbas accused the Islamic militants of Hamas of trying to stage a coup.
A survivor of the Hamas assault on the northern security headquarters said the Fatah forces were outgunned and reinforcements never arrived. "We were pounded with mortar, mortar, mortar," the Fatah fighter, who only gave his first name, Amjad, said, breathing heavily. "They had no mercy. It was boom, boom. They had rockets that could reach almost half of the compound."
Battles raged across the Gaza Strip during the day. The staccato of gunfire echoed across Gaza City, plumes of smoke rose into the air from far-flung neighborhoods and one firefight sent a dozen preschoolers scrambling for cover.
In a sign of the heightened hostilities, both sides threatened to kill each other's leaders. A rocket-propelled grenade damaged the home of Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas and four mortar shells slammed into Abbas' Gaza City office. Neither attack caused any injuries.
Desperately trying to boost morale, disorganized Fatah forces attacked Hamas' main TV station, but were repelled after a heavy battle. The station later showed a group of captured men it said were among the attackers, blood streaming down their faces.
Many Gazans, pinned down in their homes, were furious with the combatants. "Both Fatah and Hamas are leading us to death and destruction," said Ayya Khalil, 29, whose husband serves as an intelligence officer. "They don't care about us."
There was concern the fighting might spread to the West Bank, where Fatah has the upper hand, as Hamas notched victories in Gaza. Late Tuesday, Fatah gunmen wounded four Hamas activists in the West Bank city of Nablus, Fatah said in a statement.
In Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert proposed stationing international forces along the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt to prevent arms from reaching Palestinian militants, including Hamas. However, he ruled out assistance to Abbas' forces.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for an immediate halt to the violence and urged all sides to support Abbas.
Hamas and Fatah have waged a power struggle in fits and spurts since Hamas won parliamentary elections in January 2006, and Hamas signaled that the fighting was moving into a decisive phase. It ignored pleas by Abbas and exasperated Egyptian mediators to honor a cease-fire.
"Decisiveness will be in the field," said Islam Shahwan, spokesman for the Hamas military wing.
In contrast, Fatah commanders complained they were not given clear orders by Abbas to fight back and that they had no central command. Fatah's strongman in Gaza, Mohammed Dahlan, has spent the last few weeks in Cairo because of a knee injury. Other leading Fatah officials left Gaza for the West Bank after previous rounds of bloodshed.
"There's a difference between leading on the ground and leading by mobile phone," police Col. Nasser Khaldi said of Dahlan's absence. "Hamas is just taking over our positions. There are no orders."
Both sides have been arming themselves in recent weeks, smuggling weapons through tunnels from Egypt.
Abbas accused Hamas leaders of trying to seize control of Gaza by force.
The headquarters of the Fatah-allied security forces in northern Gaza, a key prize for Hamas, was taken by the Islamic militants after several hours of battle. Some 200 Hamas fighters had fired mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns at the compound, where some 500 Fatah loyalists were holed up and returned fire. Thirty-five jeeploads of Fatah fighters were sent as reinforcements. After nightfall, Hamas seized control, said a Hamas commander, Wael al-Shakra.
A Fatah security official confirmed the building had been lost. At least 12 people were killed and 30 wounded in the fighting.
Earlier, Hamas fighters also overran several smaller Fatah positions in Gaza.
Hamas gunmen also exchanged fire with Fatah forces at the southern security headquarters in the town of Khan Younis, but did not launch a major assault there. The town's streets were empty as people huddled inside. One Hamas man was killed, according to Hamas and medical officials.
In Gaza City, Hamas fired mortars and explosives at the pro-Fatah Preventive Security headquarters, drawing return fire from watchtowers in the compound. Elsewhere, Fatah fighters killed four Hamas gunmen in a battle near the besieged house of a senior Fatah commander.
The State Department and the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem, warning of a "very dangerous security situation," advised journalists not to travel to Gaza and urged any there to leave.
Even before the current outbreak of violence, no Western correspondents were based in Gaza. As the violence escalated this week, most journalists were staying off the streets, covering the conflict from the windows of high-rise buildings and keeping in touch with their sources by telephone.
Hamas and Fatah have been at odds since the Hamas election victory ended four decades of Fatah rule.The sides agreed to share power in an uneasy coalition three months ago, but put off key disputes, including control over the security forces. Most of the forces are dominated by Fatah loyalists, while Hamas has formed its own militia and has thousands of gunmen at its command.
Beverley Milton-Edwards, a Hamas expert at Queens University in Belfast, Northern Ireland, said Gaza is heading for a final showdown. "This has become the existential battle for the soul of the Palestinian people," Milton-Edwards said.
Brutality has grown in recent days, with people shot at close range in street executions. On Sunday, a member of Abbas' presidential guard, Mohammed Sweirki of Fatah, was kidnapped and hurled off a 15-story apartment building, followed a few hours later by the killing of a Hamas fighter, Abu Kainas, thrown from the roof of a 12-story building in apparent retaliation. In all, more than 80 people have been killed since mid-May, most of them militants.
Associated Press Writer
AP Photo JRL150, JRL161, JRL155, JRL151
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Doc: 00328125 DB: research–d–2007–2 Date: Tue Jun 12 21:07:14 2007
*** Version history. (* this story, F final, S semifinal) ***
aD8PN4J7G3 06-12-2007 03:22:06 BC-Israel-Palestinians:Rocket-propelled gr
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aD8PN9NEG2 06-12-2007 09:12:26 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 3rd Ld-Writethru:G
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aD8PNBFOG2 06-12-2007 11:12:34 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 5th Ld-Writethru:H
aD8PNDLCG0 06-12-2007 13:41:06 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 6th Ld:Hamas captu
aD8PNDQDO0 06-12-2007 13:51:51 S BC-Israel-Palestinians, 7th Ld-Writethru:H
aD8PNG0QG1 06-12-2007 16:22:02 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 8th Ld-Writethru:H
aD8PNGG582 06-12-2007 16:54:45 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 9th Ld-Writethru:H
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Copyright 2007 By The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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Hamas fighters seize Fatah security headquarters in northern Gaza; 37 killed in 2 days
1107
Eds: AMs. UPDATES with rights group criticizing both sides, UN warning aid threatened by fighting.
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By SARAH EL DEEB
Associated Press Writer
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) – Hundreds of Hamas fighters firing rockets and mortar shells captured the headquarters of the Fatah-allied security forces in northern Gaza on Tuesday, scoring a key victory in the bloody battle for control of the seaside strip.
Both sides said Gaza had descended into civil war, as the death toll from two days of Palestinian fighting reached 37.
Tuesday's battles marked a turning point, with Hamas moving systematically to seize Fatah positions in what some in the Islamic militant group said would be a decisive phase in the yearlong power struggle. The confrontations became increasingly brutal in recent days, with some killed execution-style in the streets, others in hospital shootouts or thrown off rooftops.
The conflict escalated further when the Fatah central committee decided to suspend the activities of its ministers in the government it shares with Hamas. In an emergency meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Fatah decided on a full withdrawal if the fighting doesn't stop, said government spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeneh.
President Mahmoud Abbas accused the Islamic militants of Hamas of trying to stage a coup.
A survivor of the Hamas assault on the northern security headquarters said the Fatah forces were outgunned and reinforcements never arrived. "We were pounded with mortar, mortar, mortar," the Fatah fighter, who only gave his first name, Amjad, said, breathing heavily. "They had no mercy. It was boom, boom. They had rockets that could reach almost half of the compound."
Battles raged across the Gaza Strip during the day. The staccato of gunfire echoed across Gaza City, plumes of smoke rose into the air from far-flung neighborhoods and one firefight sent a dozen preschoolers scrambling for cover.
In a sign of the heightened hostilities, both sides threatened to kill each other's leaders. A rocket-propelled grenade damaged the home of Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas and four mortar shells slammed into Abbas' Gaza City office. Neither attack caused any injuries.
Desperately trying to boost morale, disorganized Fatah forces attacked Hamas' main TV station, but were repelled after a heavy battle. The station later showed a group of captured men it said were among the attackers, blood streaming down their faces.
Many Gazans, pinned down in their homes, were furious with the combatants. "Both Fatah and Hamas are leading us to death and destruction," said Ayya Khalil, 29, whose husband serves as an intelligence officer. "They don't care about us."
There was concern the fighting might spread to the West Bank, where Fatah has the upper hand, as Hamas notched victories in Gaza. Late Tuesday, Fatah gunmen wounded four Hamas activists in the West Bank city of Nablus, Fatah said in a statement.
In Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert proposed stationing international forces along the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt to prevent arms from reaching Palestinian militants, including Hamas. However, he ruled out assistance to Abbas' forces.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for an immediate halt to the violence and urged all sides to support Abbas.
The U.N. warned that its efforts to supply refugees with assistance were in jeopardy because of the fighting.
Hamas and Fatah have waged a power struggle in fits and spurts since Hamas won parliamentary elections in January 2006, and Hamas signaled that the fighting was moving into a decisive phase. It ignored pleas by Abbas and exasperated Egyptian mediators to honor a cease-fire.
"Decisiveness will be in the field," said Islam Shahwan, spokesman for the Hamas military wing.
In contrast, Fatah commanders complained they were not given clear orders by Abbas to fight back and that they had no central command. Fatah's strongman in Gaza, Mohammed Dahlan, has spent the last few weeks in Cairo because of a knee injury. Other leading Fatah officials left Gaza for the West Bank after previous rounds of bloodshed.
"There's a difference between leading on the ground and leading by mobile phone," police Col. Nasser Khaldi said of Dahlan's absence. "Hamas is just taking over our positions. There are no orders."
Both sides have been arming themselves in recent weeks, smuggling weapons through tunnels from Egypt.
Abbas accused Hamas leaders of trying to seize control of Gaza by force.
The headquarters of the Fatah-allied security forces in northern Gaza, a key prize for Hamas, was taken by the Islamic militants after several hours of battle. Some 200 Hamas fighters had fired mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns at the compound, where some 500 Fatah loyalists were holed up and returned fire. Thirty-five jeeploads of Fatah fighters were sent as reinforcements. After nightfall, Hamas seized control, said a Hamas commander, Wael al-Shakra.
A Fatah security official confirmed the building had been lost. At least 12 people were killed and 30 wounded in the fighting.
Earlier, Hamas fighters also overran several smaller Fatah positions in Gaza.
Hamas gunmen also exchanged fire with Fatah forces at the southern security headquarters in the town of Khan Younis, but did not launch a major assault there. The town's streets were empty as people huddled inside. One Hamas man was killed, according to Hamas and medical officials.
In Gaza City, Hamas fired mortars and explosives at the pro-Fatah Preventive Security headquarters, drawing return fire from watchtowers in the compound. Elsewhere, Fatah fighters killed four Hamas gunmen in a battle near the besieged house of a senior Fatah commander.
The State Department and the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem, warning of a "very dangerous security situation," advised journalists not to travel to Gaza and urged any there to leave.
Even before the current outbreak of violence, no Western correspondents were based in Gaza. As the violence escalated this week, most journalists were staying off the streets, covering the conflict from the windows of high-rise buildings and keeping in touch with their sources by telephone.
Hamas and Fatah have been at odds since the Hamas election victory ended four decades of Fatah rule.The sides agreed to share power in an uneasy coalition three months ago, but put off key disputes, including control over the security forces. Most of the forces are dominated by Fatah loyalists, while Hamas has formed its own militia and has thousands of gunmen at its command.
Beverley Milton-Edwards, a Hamas expert at Queens University in Belfast, Northern Ireland, said Gaza is heading for a final showdown. "This has become the existential battle for the soul of the Palestinian people," Milton-Edwards said.
Brutality has grown in recent days, with people shot at close range in street executions. On Sunday, a member of Abbas' presidential guard, Mohammed Sweirki of Fatah, was kidnapped and hurled off a 15-story apartment building, followed a few hours later by the killing of a Hamas fighter, Abu Kainas, thrown from the roof of a 12-story building in apparent retaliation. In all, more than 80 people have been killed since mid-May, most of them militants.
Human Rights Watch, blamed both sides. "Fatah and Hamas military forces have summarily executed captives, killed people not involved in hostilities, and engaged in gun battles with one another inside and near Palestinian hospitals," the New York-based group said in a statement.
Associated Press Writer
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Doc: 00328696 DB: research–d–2007–2 Date: Wed Jun 13 00:28:35 2007
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Copyright 2007 By The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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Hamas fighters seize Fatah security headquarters in northern Gaza; 37 killed in 2 days
1107
Eds: UPDATES with two more deaths reported Wednesday, battles over security positions spreading to central Gaza.
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By SARAH EL DEEB
Associated Press Writer
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) – Hundreds of Hamas fighters firing rockets and mortar shells captured the headquarters of the Fatah-allied security forces in northern Gaza on Tuesday, scoring a key victory in the bloody battle for control of the seaside strip.
Both sides said Gaza had descended into civil war, as the death toll from two days of Palestinian fighting reached 37. Two more people died of wounds Wednesday, as battles over security positions spread to central Gaza, and gunmen fought for control of high-rise buildings in Gaza City.
Tuesday's battles marked a turning point, with Hamas moving systematically to seize Fatah positions in what some in the Islamic militant group said would be a decisive phase in the yearlong power struggle. The confrontations became increasingly brutal in recent days, with some killed execution-style in the streets, others in hospital shootouts or thrown off rooftops.
The conflict escalated further when the Fatah central committee decided to suspend the activities of its ministers in the government it shares with Hamas. In an emergency meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Fatah decided on a full withdrawal if the fighting doesn't stop, said government spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeneh.
President Mahmoud Abbas accused the Islamic militants of Hamas of trying to stage a coup.
A survivor of the Hamas assault on the northern security headquarters said the Fatah forces were outgunned and reinforcements never arrived. "We were pounded with mortar, mortar, mortar," the Fatah fighter, who only gave his first name, Amjad, said, breathing heavily. "They had no mercy. It was boom, boom. They had rockets that could reach almost half of the compound."
Battles raged across the Gaza Strip during the day. The staccato of gunfire echoed across Gaza City, plumes of smoke rose into the air from far-flung neighborhoods and one firefight sent a dozen preschoolers scrambling for cover.
In a sign of the heightened hostilities, both sides threatened to kill each other's leaders. A rocket-propelled grenade damaged the home of Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas and four mortar shells slammed into Abbas' Gaza City office. Neither attack caused any injuries.
Desperately trying to boost morale, disorganized Fatah forces attacked Hamas' main TV station, but were repelled after a heavy battle. The station later showed a group of captured men it said were among the attackers, blood streaming down their faces.
Many Gazans, pinned down in their homes, were furious with the combatants. "Both Fatah and Hamas are leading us to death and destruction," said Ayya Khalil, 29, whose husband serves as an intelligence officer. "They don't care about us."
There was concern the fighting might spread to the West Bank, where Fatah has the upper hand, as Hamas notched victories in Gaza. Late Tuesday, Fatah gunmen wounded four Hamas activists in the West Bank city of Nablus, Fatah said in a statement.
In Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert proposed stationing international forces along the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt to prevent arms from reaching Palestinian militants, including Hamas. However, he ruled out assistance to Abbas' forces.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for an immediate halt to the violence and urged all sides to support Abbas.
The U.N. warned that its efforts to supply refugees with assistance were in jeopardy because of the fighting.
Hamas and Fatah have waged a power struggle in fits and spurts since Hamas won parliamentary elections in January 2006, and Hamas signaled that the fighting was moving into a decisive phase. It ignored pleas by Abbas and exasperated Egyptian mediators to honor a cease-fire.
"Decisiveness will be in the field," said Islam Shahwan, spokesman for the Hamas military wing.
In contrast, Fatah commanders complained they were not given clear orders by Abbas to fight back and that they had no central command. Fatah's strongman in Gaza, Mohammed Dahlan, has spent the last few weeks in Cairo because of a knee injury. Other leading Fatah officials left Gaza for the West Bank after previous rounds of bloodshed.
"There's a difference between leading on the ground and leading by mobile phone," police Col. Nasser Khaldi said of Dahlan's absence. "Hamas is just taking over our positions. There are no orders."
Both sides have been arming themselves in recent weeks, smuggling weapons through tunnels from Egypt.
Abbas accused Hamas leaders of trying to seize control of Gaza by force.
The headquarters of the Fatah-allied security forces in northern Gaza, a key prize for Hamas, was taken by the Islamic militants after several hours of battle. Some 200 Hamas fighters had fired mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns at the compound, where some 500 Fatah loyalists were holed up and returned fire. Thirty-five jeeploads of Fatah fighters were sent as reinforcements. After nightfall, Hamas seized control, said a Hamas commander, Wael al-Shakra.
A Fatah security official confirmed the building had been lost. At least 12 people were killed and 30 wounded in the fighting.
Earlier, Hamas fighters also overran several smaller Fatah positions in Gaza.
Hamas gunmen also exchanged fire with Fatah forces at the southern security headquarters in the town of Khan Younis, but did not launch a major assault there. The town's streets were empty as people huddled inside. One Hamas man was killed, according to Hamas and medical officials.
In Gaza City, Hamas fired mortars and explosives at the pro-Fatah Preventive Security headquarters, drawing return fire from watchtowers in the compound. Elsewhere, Fatah fighters killed four Hamas gunmen in a battle near the besieged house of a senior Fatah commander.
The State Department and the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem, warning of a "very dangerous security situation," advised journalists not to travel to Gaza and urged any there to leave.
Even before the current outbreak of violence, no Western correspondents were based in Gaza. As the violence escalated this week, most journalists were staying off the streets, covering the conflict from the windows of high-rise buildings and keeping in touch with their sources by telephone.
Hamas and Fatah have been at odds since the Hamas election victory ended four decades of Fatah rule.The sides agreed to share power in an uneasy coalition three months ago, but put off key disputes, including control over the security forces. Most of the forces are dominated by Fatah loyalists, while Hamas has formed its own militia and has thousands of gunmen at its command.
Beverley Milton-Edwards, a Hamas expert at Queens University in Belfast, Northern Ireland, said Gaza is heading for a final showdown. "This has become the existential battle for the soul of the Palestinian people," Milton-Edwards said.
Brutality has grown in recent days, with people shot at close range in street executions. On Sunday, a member of Abbas' presidential guard, Mohammed Sweirki of Fatah, was kidnapped and hurled off a 15-story apartment building, followed a few hours later by the killing of a Hamas fighter, Abu Kainas, thrown from the roof of a 12-story building in apparent retaliation. In all, more than 80 people have been killed since mid-May, most of them militants.
Human Rights Watch, blamed both sides. "Fatah and Hamas military forces have summarily executed captives, killed people not involved in hostilities, and engaged in gun battles with one another inside and near Palestinian hospitals," the New York-based group said in a statement.