Associated Press Writer
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Doc: 00328742 DB: research–d–2007–2 Date: Wed Jun 13 00:47:15 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: RECASTS with violence early Wednesday.
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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. Dozens have been killed since Monday and battles over security positions spread to central Gaza early Wednesday. Gunmen fought for control of high-rise buildings in Gaza City, and Hamas said it seized and bulldozed a key Fatah outpost that controls Gaza's main north-south road.
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
AP Photo AKCF111, AKCF110, AKCF106
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Doc: 00329749 DB: research–d–2007–2 Date: Wed Jun 13 07:43:25 2007
Alert Categories: def kcr law tra wie
Profiler Categories: Crime Defense Law Travel Wiesen
*** Version history. (* this story, F final, S semifinal) ***
aD8PNRE300 06-13-2007 05:21:16 BC-Israel-Palestinians:Hamas seizes contro
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Copyright 2007 By The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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Fierce battles in Gaza; Hamas seizes control of main road; 50 killed this week in clashes
1107
Eds: UPDATES with Abbas calling Mashaal, Hamas spokesman blaming Abbas for violence, protest broken up by Hamas gunmen, Hamas ultimatum to Fatah to turn over guns, Abbas comment.
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By DIAA HADID
Associated Press Writer
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) – Fierce battles over key security positions spread Wednesday to central Gaza, with Hamas fighters wresting control of the coastal strip's main north-south road – and putting themselves in position to cut off reinforcements to beleaguered Fatah forces.
Hamas leaders blamed the Gaza fighting on President Mahmoud Abbas, saying his security forces were corrupt and riddled with criminals. Abbas, of Fatah, called the fighting "madness" and appealed to Hamas' exiled leader, Khaled Mashaal, to end the violence.
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, in addition to four killed there Tuesday, Hamas said. Two other people died of wounds sustained in earlier fighting.
A mortar shell hit the home of a deputy Cabinet minister from Hamas in the nearby Shati refugee camp, setting it aflame, security officials said. No one was hurt, and the official was not at home, officials said.
Violence in Gaza between the two factions, which nominally share power in the Palestinian government, has rapidly spiraled toward all-out civil war, with more than 50 reported killed since Monday. Hamas has systematically taken control of security positions in the north and south, apparently leaving the main battle for the strip's security and political nerve center in Gaza City for last.
An announcer on a Hamas radio station said the offensive would proceed to the presidential compound and the national security headquarters in Gaza City.
Hamas demanded Fatah-allied security forces in the north relinquish their weapons by 7 p.m. (noon EDT) Friday, or risk having them taken by force. The ultimatum was delivered in text messages and radio announcements.
Shops in Gaza City were closed and streets were mostly empty as terrified residents huddled in homes. 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 aid.
Abbas urged an end to the bloody confrontations. He spoke by phone with the Damascus-based Mashaal to try to stop the crisis, said Abbas aide, Nimr Hamad.
"This is madness, the madness that is going on in Gaza now," Abbas told reporters.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri, said the clashes could have been avoided if Abbas had given the Hamas-led Cabinet control over the security forces, which he blamed for a wave of kidnappings, torture and violence in Gaza.
"'The president bears complete responsibility for the current crisis," he said. "Because of the president's hesitations and his inability to move to deal with the issues, we had to take this step. This could have been avoided with only one decision from the president."
The mounting bloodshed touched off protests in two main Gaza towns.
Several hundred tribal leaders, women, children and Islamic Jihad militants turned out in Gaza City for a protest initiated by Egyptian mediators. Some demonstrators scattered after masked Hamas gunmen fired in the air, but others pushed on, carrying Palestinian flags and shouting, "Do not shoot" and "national unity" over a loudspeaker.
Witnesses said Hamas gunmen shot at the protesters as they approached the house of the Bakr family – Fatah loyalists – in Gaza City, trapping the demonstrators.
Protester Bilal Qurashali said he saw a man shot in the head.
Health officials said one protester was killed and 14 others were wounded and taken to the hospital in civilian cars because ambulances couldn't navigate the heavy fire.
Separately, Hamas gunmen opened fire from a high-rise building at about 1,000 protesters in the southern town of Khan Younis, wounding one and breaking up the protest. A Fatah-affiliated officer was shot to death at the National Security compound in the town.
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 by smuggling weapons through tunnels under the Gaza-Egypt border.
On Tuesday, Hamas gunmen scored a key victory when they overran the headquarters of a Fatah-allied security force in northern Gaza.
Hamas reported another strategic win 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, made up of a mobile home and several shacks.
Hamas also seized control 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 since Hamas won parliament elections last year, ending four decades of Fatah rule. On Tuesday, Hamas ignored pleas by Abbas and exasperated Egyptian mediators to honor a cease-fire, and appeared to be moving ahead according to a plan.
Abu Zuhri said Hamas did not intend to stop the fighting.
"We are going ahead with the steps we have taken in confronting all the security posts and to clear the security posts," he said.
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 earlier 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 Tuesday when Fatah suspended the activities of its ministers in the coalition government and warned it would pull out of the government if the fighting doesn't stop.
There was concern that fighting might spread to the West Bank, where Fatah has the upper hand.
Late Tuesday, Fatah gunmen wounded four Hamas activists in the West Bank city of Nablus, Fatah said. On Wednesday, unidentified gunmen opened fire at a Hamas school in the West Bank city of Ramallah, security officials said. No one was injured.
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, warning of a "very dangerous security situation" in Gaza, advised journalists not to travel there and urged U.S. journalists there to leave.
Associated Press Writer
AP Photo AKCF111, AKCF110, AKCF106
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Doc: 00329939 DB: research–d–2007–2 Date: Wed Jun 13 08:44:09 2007
Alert Categories: def kcr law tra wie
Profiler Categories: Crime Defense Law Travel Wiesen
*** Version history. (* this story, F final, S semifinal) ***
aD8PNRE300 06-13-2007 05:21:16 BC-Israel-Palestinians:Hamas seizes contro
aD8PNTGN81 06-13-2007 07:43:25 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 1st Ld-Writethru:F
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aD8PO1N9O0 06-13-2007 12:30:31 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 4th Ld:Hamas begin
aD8PO1U6O0 06-13-2007 12:45:15 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 5th Ld-Writethru:H
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Copyright 2007 By The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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Fierce battles in Gaza; Hamas seizes control of main road; 50 killed this week in clashes
1107
Eds: UPDATES with U.N. scaling back operations in Gaza after two working for agency killed.
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By DIAA HADID
Associated Press Writer
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) – Fierce battles over key security positions spread Wednesday to central Gaza, with Hamas fighters wresting control of the coastal strip's main north-south road – and putting themselves in position to cut off reinforcements to beleaguered Fatah forces.
Hamas leaders blamed the Gaza fighting on President Mahmoud Abbas, saying his security forces were corrupt and riddled with criminals. Abbas, of Fatah, called the fighting "madness" and appealed to Hamas' exiled leader, Khaled Mashaal, to end the violence.
The United Nations decided to scale back its operations in Gaza immediately after two Palestinians who worked for a U.N. agency were killed in the fighting, a U.N. spokesman said
"In view of the increased threats to our staff, UNRWA has no choice but to scale back its operations in Gaza with immediate effect," U.N. spokesman Christopher Gunness said, referring to the agency that deal with Palestinian refugees.
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, in addition to four killed there Tuesday, Hamas said. Two other people died of wounds sustained in earlier fighting.
A mortar shell hit the home of a deputy Cabinet minister from Hamas in the nearby Shati refugee camp, setting it aflame, security officials said. No one was hurt, and the official was not at home, officials said.
Violence in Gaza between the two factions, which nominally share power in the Palestinian government, has rapidly spiraled toward all-out civil war, with more than 50 reported killed since Monday. Hamas has systematically taken control of security positions in the north and south, apparently leaving the main battle for the strip's security and political nerve center in Gaza City for last.
An announcer on a Hamas radio station said the offensive would proceed to the presidential compound and the national security headquarters in Gaza City.
Hamas demanded Fatah-allied security forces in the north relinquish their weapons by 7 p.m. (noon EDT) Friday, or risk having them taken by force. The ultimatum was delivered in text messages and radio announcements.
Shops in Gaza City were closed and streets were mostly empty as terrified residents huddled in homes. 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 aid.
Abbas urged an end to the bloody confrontations. He spoke by phone with the Damascus-based Mashaal to try to stop the crisis, said Abbas aide, Nimr Hamad.
"This is madness, the madness that is going on in Gaza now," Abbas told reporters.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri, said the clashes could have been avoided if Abbas had given the Hamas-led Cabinet control over the security forces, which he blamed for a wave of kidnappings, torture and violence in Gaza.
"'The president bears complete responsibility for the current crisis," he said. "Because of the president's hesitations and his inability to move to deal with the issues, we had to take this step. This could have been avoided with only one decision from the president."
The mounting bloodshed touched off protests in two main Gaza towns.
Several hundred tribal leaders, women, children and Islamic Jihad militants turned out in Gaza City for a protest initiated by Egyptian mediators. Some demonstrators scattered after masked Hamas gunmen fired in the air, but others pushed on, carrying Palestinian flags and shouting, "Do not shoot" and "national unity" over a loudspeaker.
Witnesses said Hamas gunmen shot at the protesters as they approached the house of the Bakr family – Fatah loyalists – in Gaza City, trapping the demonstrators.
Protester Bilal Qurashali said he saw a man shot in the head.
Health officials said one protester was killed and 14 others were wounded and taken to the hospital in civilian cars because ambulances couldn't navigate the heavy fire.
Separately, Hamas gunmen opened fire from a high-rise building at about 1,000 protesters in the southern town of Khan Younis, wounding one and breaking up the protest. A Fatah-affiliated officer was shot to death at the National Security compound in the town.
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 by smuggling weapons through tunnels under the Gaza-Egypt border.
On Tuesday, Hamas gunmen scored a key victory when they overran the headquarters of a Fatah-allied security force in northern Gaza.
Hamas reported another strategic win 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, made up of a mobile home and several shacks.
Hamas also seized control 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 since Hamas won parliament elections last year, ending four decades of Fatah rule. On Tuesday, Hamas ignored pleas by Abbas and exasperated Egyptian mediators to honor a cease-fire, and appeared to be moving ahead according to a plan.
Abu Zuhri said Hamas did not intend to stop the fighting.
"We are going ahead with the steps we have taken in confronting all the security posts and to clear the security posts," he said.
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 earlier 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 Tuesday when Fatah suspended the activities of its ministers in the coalition government and warned it would pull out of the government if the fighting doesn't stop.
There was concern that fighting might spread to the West Bank, where Fatah has the upper hand.
Late Tuesday, Fatah gunmen wounded four Hamas activists in the West Bank city of Nablus, Fatah said. On Wednesday, unidentified gunmen opened fire at a Hamas school in the West Bank city of Ramallah, security officials said. No one was injured.
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, warning of a "very dangerous security situation" in Gaza, advised journalists not to travel there and urged U.S. journalists there to leave.
Associated Press Writer
AP Photo AKCF111, AKCF110, AKCF106
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Doc: 00330756 DB: research–d–2007–2 Date: Wed Jun 13 11:45:34 2007
Alert Categories: bom def kcr lab law tra wie
Profiler Categories: Bombs Crime Defense Labor Law Travel Wiesen
*** Version history. (* this story, F final, S semifinal) ***
aD8PNRE300 06-13-2007 05:21:16 BC-Israel-Palestinians:Hamas seizes contro
aD8PNTGN81 06-13-2007 07:43:25 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 1st Ld-Writethru:F
aD8PNUD680 06-13-2007 08:44:09 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 2nd Ld-Writethru:F
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aD8PO1U6O0 06-13-2007 12:45:15 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 5th Ld-Writethru:H
aD8PO3A4O1 06-13-2007 14:18:59 S BC-Israel-Palestinians, 6th Ld-Writethru:H
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aD8POD1B00 06-14-2007 01:22:52 F BC-Israel-Palestinians, 12th Ld-Writethru:
Copyright 2007 By The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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Fierce battles in Gaza; Hamas seizes control of main road; 50 killed this week in clashes
1107
Eds: UPDATES with bomb in Khan Younis, higher death toll, details on violence, U.S. comment.
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By DIAA HADID
Associated Press Writer
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) – Fierce battles over strategic positions spread Wednesday to central Gaza, with Hamas fighters wresting control of the coastal strip's main north-south road and positioning to cut off reinforcements to beleaguered forces of the rival Fatah faction.
In the southern town of Khan Younis, a one-ton bomb in an underground tunnel tore through the headquarters of a security force loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah, said Ali Qaisi, a presidential guard spokesman. At least one person was killed and eight were wounded, medics said.
Before the blast, Hamas militants demanded officers inside the building come out and threatened to blow it up if they did not, witnesses said.
Security forces said they had lost control of the town.
"Khan Younis is finished, but we are still holding on in Rafah," said Ziad Sarafandi, a senior security official, referring to a town south of Khan Younis.
At least seven other militants died in fighting elsewhere in Gaza, and two people died of wounds sustained earlier. An unidentified young man protesting violence in Gaza City was killed by Hamas gunmen, witnesses said.
Shops in Gaza City were closed and streets were empty as terrified residents huddled in their homes. The U.N. Relief and Works Agency said it could not distribute food to the 30 percent of the Gaza Strip that relies on international aid.
Hamas leaders blamed the Gaza fighting on President Mahmoud Abbas, saying his security forces were riddled with criminals. Abbas, of Fatah, called the fighting "madness" and appealed to Hamas' exiled leader in Syria, Khaled Mashaal, to end the violence.
The State Department denounced the violence as a direct attack by the most radical elements of Hamas on legitimate Palestinian authorities. Spokesman Sean McCormack said Washington had no indication that Israel might intervene to try to stop the infighting.
Violence between the factions, which nominally share power in the Palestinian government, has rapidly spiraled toward all-out civil war, with more than 50 reported killed since Monday. Hamas has systematically taken control of security positions in the north and south, apparently leaving the main battle for the strip's political nerve center in Gaza City for last.
The fighting has spilled into the Fatah-dominated West Bank. The factions exchanged fire in the city of Nablus and a nearby refugee camp after Fatah gunmen tried to storm a pro-Hamas TV production company. Hamas said 12 of its fighters were wounded.
The incident began when gunmen from the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a violent Fatah offshoot, seized several employees of the production company. Hamas gunmen rushed to the scene, and a battle erupted and spread to nearby Al Ein refugee camp.
Al Aqsa leaders said the attack was retaliation for Hamas attacks on positions of Fatah-allied security forces in Gaza.
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, in addition to four killed there Tuesday, Hamas said.
An announcer on a Hamas radio station said the offensive would proceed to the presidential compound and the national security headquarters in Gaza City.
Hamas demanded Fatah-allied security forces in the north give up their weapons by 7 p.m. (noon EDT) Friday, or risk having them taken by force. The ultimatum was delivered in text messages and radio announcements.
Abbas urged an end to the bloody confrontations. He spoke by phone with the Damascus-based Mashaal to try to stop the crisis, said Abbas aide Nimr Hamad.
"This is madness, the madness that is going on in Gaza now," Abbas told reporters.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the clashes could have been avoided if Abbas had given the Hamas-led Cabinet control over the security forces, which he blamed for a wave of kidnappings, torture and violence in Gaza.
"The president bears complete responsibility for the current crisis," he said. "Because of the president's hesitations and his inability to move to deal with the issues, we had to take this step. This could have been avoided with only one decision from the president."
The mounting bloodshed touched off protests in two main Gaza towns.
Several hundred tribal leaders, women, children and Islamic Jihad militants turned out in Gaza City for a protest initiated by Egyptian mediators. Some demonstrators scattered after masked Hamas gunmen fired in the air, but others pushed on, carrying Palestinian flags and shouting, "Do not shoot" and "national unity" over a loudspeaker.
Health officials said one protester was killed and 14 were wounded and taken to the hospital in civilian cars because ambulances could not navigate the heavy fire.
Witnesses said Hamas gunmen shot at the protesters as they approached the house of the Bakr family – Fatah loyalists – in Gaza City, trapping the demonstrators.
Protester Bilal Qurashali said he saw a man shot in the head.
Separately, Hamas gunmen opened fire from a high-rise building at about 1,000 protesters in Khan Younis, wounding one and breaking up the protest.
A Fatah-affiliated officer was shot to death at the National Security compound in the town.
Gunbattles also broke out in the center of the southern town of Rafah, and Hamas fired guns and mortars at five security posts along the border fence with Israel, a security official said.
Hamas claimed another strategic victory, saying it seized a Fatah post on the main north-south road, where security forces often stopped cars carrying Hamas loyalists.
Hamas also seized control of a Fatah post on Gaza's coastal road – another main artery for reinforcing Fatah troops.
Hamas and Fatah have waged a power struggle since Hamas won parliamentary elections last year, ending four decades of Fatah dominance. On Tuesday, Hamas ignored pleas by Abbas and exasperated Egyptian mediators to honor a cease-fire.
Abu Zuhri said Hamas did not intend to stop the fighting.
"We are going ahead with the steps we have taken in confronting all the security posts and to clear the security posts," he said.
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 earlier bloodshed.
The power struggle escalated Tuesday when Fatah suspended the activities of its ministers in the coalition government and warned it would pull out if fighting does not stop.
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.
–––
Associated Press Writer Sarah El Deeb contributed to this report.
Associated Press Writer
AP Photo AKCF111, AKCF110, AKCF106
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BC-Israel-Palestinians, 4th Ld,0334
URGENT
Hamas begins fierce assault on Fatah bases in Gaza City
Eds: UPDATES with Hamas launching major battle in apparent attempt to control entire Gaza Strip.
AP Photo AKCF111, AKCF110, AKCF106
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By DIAA HADID
Associated Press Writer
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Doc: 00331018 DB: research–d–2007–2 Date: Wed Jun 13 12:30:31 2007
Alert Categories: kcr law wie
Profiler Categories: Crime Law Wiesen
*** Version history. (* this story, F final, S semifinal) ***
aD8PNRE300 06-13-2007 05:21:16 BC-Israel-Palestinians:Hamas seizes contro
aD8PNTGN81 06-13-2007 07:43:25 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 1st Ld-Writethru:F
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aD8PO127G2 06-13-2007 11:45:34 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 3rd Ld-Writethru:F
aD8PO1N9O0 06-13-2007 12:30:31* BC-Israel-Palestinians, 4th Ld:Hamas begin
aD8PO1U6O0 06-13-2007 12:45:15 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 5th Ld-Writethru:H
aD8PO3A4O1 06-13-2007 14:18:59 S BC-Israel-Palestinians, 6th Ld-Writethru:H
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aD8POAK2O0 06-13-2007 22:38:03 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 11th Ld-Writethru:
aD8POD1B00 06-14-2007 01:22:52 F BC-Israel-Palestinians, 12th Ld-Writethru:
Copyright 2007 By The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) – Hamas pounded Gaza City's three main security compounds with mortars, grenades and assault rifles Wednesday, calling on beleaguered Fatah forces to surrender in an apparent attempt to take control of the entire Gaza Strip.
In one dramatic victory, hundreds of members of a Fatah-allied clan that had fought fiercely surrendered to masked Hamas gunmen. They were led – arms raised in the air – to a nearby mosque.
Fatah fighters desperately tried to cling to their positions, but appeared outgunned by Hamas. One of the battles raged around the headquarters of the Fatah-allied Preventive Security, with both sides firing wildly from high-rise rooftops.
Dr. Wael Abdel Jawad, a physician trapped in his apartment in the line of fire, said he heard Fatah fighters shouting at colleagues on an adjacent roof to send them more ammuntion.
"All of us are terrified here. Shooting came through the windows of our apartment, children are screaming. We are hearing from a nearby mosque the call by Hamas to surrender," he said.
President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah called the fighting "madness," but his appeals for a cease-fire rang increasingly hollow as Hamas gunmen took over or destroyed one base or another of his security forces.
Associated Press Writer
AP Photo AKCF111, AKCF110, AKCF106
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Doc: 00331095 DB: research–d–2007–2 Date: Wed Jun 13 12:45:15 2007
Alert Categories: bom bus dam def kcr law tra wie
Profiler Categories: Bombs Business Crime Damages Defense Law
Travel Wiesen
*** Version history. (* this story, F final, S semifinal) ***
aD8PNRE300 06-13-2007 05:21:16 BC-Israel-Palestinians:Hamas seizes contro
aD8PNTGN81 06-13-2007 07:43:25 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 1st Ld-Writethru:F
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aD8PO1N9O0 06-13-2007 12:30:31 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 4th Ld:Hamas begin
aD8PO1U6O0 06-13-2007 12:45:15* BC-Israel-Palestinians, 5th Ld-Writethru:H
aD8PO3A4O1 06-13-2007 14:18:59 S BC-Israel-Palestinians, 6th Ld-Writethru:H
aD8PO4SPO5 06-13-2007 16:07:03 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 7th Ld-Writethru:H
aD8PO5B1O9 06-13-2007 16:37:27 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 8th Ld-Writethru:H
aD8PO6CJ80 06-13-2007 17:49:01 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 9th Ld-Writethru:H
aD8PO7E281 06-13-2007 19:00:25 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 10th Ld-Writethru:
aD8POAK2O0 06-13-2007 22:38:03 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 11th Ld-Writethru:
aD8POD1B00 06-14-2007 01:22:52 F BC-Israel-Palestinians, 12th Ld-Writethru:
Copyright 2007 By The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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Hamas begins assault on Fatah bases in Gaza City, calls for beleaguered foe to surrender
1107
Eds: Restores pvs.
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By DIAA HADID
Associated Press Writer
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) – Hamas pounded Gaza City's three main security compounds with mortars, grenades and assault rifles Wednesday, calling on beleaguered Fatah forces to surrender in an apparent attempt to take control of the entire Gaza Strip.
In one dramatic victory, hundreds of members of a Fatah-allied clan that had fought fiercely surrendered to masked Hamas gunmen. They were led – arms raised in the air – to a nearby mosque.
Fatah fighters desperately tried to cling to their positions, but appeared outgunned by Hamas. One of the battles raged around the headquarters of the Fatah-allied Preventive Security, with both sides firing wildly from high-rise rooftops.
Violence between the factions, which nominally share power in the Palestinian government, has rapidly spiraled toward all-out civil war.
Dr. Wael Abdel Jawad, a physician trapped in his apartment in the line of fire, said he heard Fatah fighters shouting at colleagues on an adjacent roof to send them more ammunition.
"All of us are terrified here. Shooting came through the windows of our apartment, children are screaming. We are hearing from a nearby mosque the call by Hamas to surrender," he said.
President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah called the fighting "madness," but his appeals for a cease-fire rang increasingly hollow as Hamas gunmen took over or destroyed one base or another of his security forces.
Hamas has ignored calls for a cease-fire, and its hard-liners said the offensive would continue.
The State Department denounced the violence as a direct attack by the most radical elements of Hamas on legitimate Palestinian authorities. Spokesman Sean McCormack said Washington had no indication that Israel might intervene to try to stop the infighting.
Hamas moved systematically throughout the day, taking control of key Fatah positions. 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.
At least 15 people were killed Wednesday, bringing the death toll in the four-day campaign to more than 50. Among those killed Wednesday was a man who joined a nonviolent protest of the fighting in Gaza City.
Hamas attacked the three main compounds of Fatah-allied forces in Gaza City – the headquarters of the Preventive Security, the Intelligence Service and the National Forces – in what could usher in the final phase of the battle.
The fighters, firing rockets and mortar shells, took over the rooftops in nearby houses and cut off the roads to prevent Fatah reinforcements from arriving.
Hamas gunmen in high-rise buildings also fired at Abbas' Gaza office and house and his guard force returned fire. Abbas was in the West Bank at the time.
Earlier, Hamas militants surrounded a security headquarters in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis and ordered everyone inside to leave or they would blow the building up, witnesses said. The building was then destroyed by a bomb planted in a tunnel beneath it, said Ali Qaisi, a presidential guard spokesman.
Security forces later said they lost control of the town.
"Khan Younis is finished, but we are still holding on in Rafah," said Ziad Sarafandi, a senior security official, referring to a town south of Khan Younis. But soon after, Hamas militants blew up a second security building near Rafah after a long gunbattle, said Col. Nasser Khaldi, a senior police official.
"Hamas surrounded the building, they had come from Khan Younis to Rafah, they are working by plan," he said.
The Popular Resistance Committees, a militant group allied with Hamas, said it had taken control of Gaza's border with Egypt to prevent arms smuggling and to ensure that Gaze residents did not flee over the border.
Shops in Gaza City were closed, and streets were mostly empty as terrified residents huddled in homes. The U.N. Relief and Works Agency said it couldn't distribute food to the 30 percent of the Gaza Strip that relies on international aid.
The agency's Gaza director, John Ging, said the agency would curtail its operations after two of its Palestinian workers were killed by crossfire, but insisted, "We are scaling back, we are not pulling back."
Hamas and Fatah have waged a sporadic power struggle since Hamas won parliament elections last year, ending four decades of Fatah rule. But the battles have worsened as Hamas waged a systematic assault on security forces to take over Gaza.
Fighting between the two factions, which nominally share power in the Palestinian government, spilled into the Fatah-dominated West Bank. Militants exchanged fire in the city of Nablus and a nearby refugee camp, after Fatah gunmen tried to storm a pro-Hamas TV production company. Hamas said 12 people of its fighters were wounded.
Abbas appealed by phone to Hamas' exiled leader in Syria, Khaled Mashaal, to end the violence.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri, said the clashes could have been avoided if Abbas had given the Hamas-led Cabinet control over the security forces, which he blamed for a wave of kidnappings, torture and violence in Gaza.
"The president bears complete responsibility for the current crisis," he said.
The mounting bloodshed touched off protests in two main Gaza towns.
Several hundred tribal leaders, women, children and Islamic Jihad militants turned out in Gaza City for a protest initiated by Egyptian mediators. Some demonstrators scattered after masked Hamas gunmen fired in the air, but others pushed on, carrying Palestinian flags and shouting, "Do not shoot" and "national unity" over a loudspeaker.
Witnesses said Hamas gunmen shot at the protesters as they approached the home of Fatah loyalists, trapping them.
Protester Bilal Qurashali said he saw a man shot in the head. "We are unable to get out. The place is closed," he said.
Health officials said one protester was killed and 14 others were injured by bullets and brought to the hospital in civilian cars because ambulances couldn't navigate the heavy fire.
Separately, Hamas gunmen opened fire from a high-rise building at about 1,000 protesters in Khan Younis, injuring one and breaking up the protest.
–––
Associated Press Writer Sarah El Deeb contributed to this report.
Associated Press Writer
AP Photo AKCF111, AKCF110, AKCF106
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Doc: 00331567 DB: research–d–2007–2 Date: Wed Jun 13 14:18:59 2007
Alert Categories: def kcr law tra wie
Profiler Categories: Crime Defense Law Travel Wiesen
*** Version history. (* this story, F final, S semifinal) ***
aD8PNRE300 06-13-2007 05:21:16 BC-Israel-Palestinians:Hamas seizes contro
aD8PNTGN81 06-13-2007 07:43:25 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 1st Ld-Writethru:F
aD8PNUD680 06-13-2007 08:44:09 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 2nd Ld-Writethru:F
aD8PO127G2 06-13-2007 11:45:34 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 3rd Ld-Writethru:F
aD8PO1N9O0 06-13-2007 12:30:31 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 4th Ld:Hamas begin
aD8PO1U6O0 06-13-2007 12:45:15 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 5th Ld-Writethru:H
aD8PO3A4O1 06-13-2007 14:18:59*S BC-Israel-Palestinians, 6th Ld-Writethru:H
aD8PO4SPO5 06-13-2007 16:07:03 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 7th Ld-Writethru:H
aD8PO5B1O9 06-13-2007 16:37:27 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 8th Ld-Writethru:H
aD8PO6CJ80 06-13-2007 17:49:01 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 9th Ld-Writethru:H
aD8PO7E281 06-13-2007 19:00:25 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 10th Ld-Writethru:
aD8POAK2O0 06-13-2007 22:38:03 BC-Israel-Palestinians, 11th Ld-Writethru:
aD8POD1B00 06-14-2007 01:22:52 F BC-Israel-Palestinians, 12th Ld-Writethru:
Copyright 2007 By The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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Hamas begins assault on Fatah bases in Gaza City, calls for beleaguered foe to surrender
1107
Eds: UPDATES with witnesses saying two female members of Fatah-allied clan shot and killed by Hamas, details on attack on Abbas compound.
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By DIAA HADID
Associated Press Writer
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) – Hamas pounded Gaza City's three main security compounds and President Mahmoud Abbas' headquarters with mortars, grenades and assault rifles Wednesday, calling on beleaguered Fatah forces to surrender in an apparent attempt to take control of the entire Gaza Strip.
In one dramatic victory, hundreds of members of a Fatah-allied clan that had fought fiercely surrendered to masked Hamas gunmen. They were led – arms raised in the air – to a nearby mosque.
Fatah fighters desperately tried to cling to their positions, but appeared outgunned by Hamas. One of the battles raged around the headquarters of the Fatah-allied Preventive Security, with both sides firing wildly from high-rise rooftops.
Violence between the factions, which nominally share power in the Palestinian government, has rapidly spiraled toward all-out civil war.
Dr. Wael Abdel Jawad, a physician trapped in his apartment in the line of fire, said he heard Fatah fighters shouting at colleagues on an adjacent roof to send them more ammunition.
"All of us are terrified here. Shooting came through the windows of our apartment, children are screaming. We are hearing from a nearby mosque the call by Hamas to surrender," he said.
Fatah's leader, Abbas, who is in the West Bank, called the fighting "madness," but his appeals for a cease-fire rang increasingly hollow as Hamas gunmen took over or destroyed one base or another of his security forces. Later, his office and residential compound in Gaza came under attack, with Hamas fighters firing at Fatah forces guarding an access road.
Hamas has ignored calls for a cease-fire, and its hard-liners said the offensive would continue.
The State Department denounced the violence as a direct attack by the most radical elements of Hamas on legitimate Palestinian authorities. Spokesman Sean McCormack said Washington had no indication that Israel might intervene to try to stop the infighting.
Hamas moved systematically throughout the day, taking control of key Fatah positions. 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.
At least 15 people were killed Wednesday, bringing the death toll in the four-day campaign to more than 50.
Among those killed Wednesday was a man who joined a nonviolent protest of the fighting in Gaza City. Also shot dead were two women from the Fatah-allied Bakr clan whose members had surrendered to Hamas. According to a clan member, the women tried to leave the area after the surrender to take a sick girl to a hospital and were shot on the street by jittery Hamas gunmen.
Hamas attacked the three main compounds of Fatah-allied forces in Gaza City – the headquarters of the Preventive Security, the Intelligence Service and the National Forces – in what could usher in the final phase of the battle.
The fighters, firing rockets and mortar shells, took over the rooftops in nearby houses and cut off the roads to prevent Fatah reinforcements from arriving.
Hamas gunmen in high-rise buildings also fired at Abbas' Gaza office and house and his guard force returned fire. Abbas was in the West Bank at the time.
Earlier, Hamas militants surrounded a security headquarters in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis and ordered everyone inside to leave or they would blow the building up, witnesses said. The building was then destroyed by a bomb planted in a tunnel beneath it, said Ali Qaisi, a presidential guard spokesman.
Security forces later said they lost control of the town.
"Khan Younis is finished, but we are still holding on in Rafah," said Ziad Sarafandi, a senior security official, referring to a town south of Khan Younis. But soon after, Hamas militants blew up a second security building near Rafah after a long gunbattle, said Col. Nasser Khaldi, a senior police official.
"Hamas surrounded the building, they had come from Khan Younis to Rafah, they are working by plan," he said.
The Popular Resistance Committees, a militant group allied with Hamas, said it had taken control of Gaza's border with Egypt to prevent arms smuggling and to ensure that Gaze residents did not flee over the border.
Shops in Gaza City were closed, and streets were mostly empty as terrified residents huddled in homes. The U.N. Relief and Works Agency said it couldn't distribute food to the 30 percent of the Gaza Strip that relies on international aid.
The agency's Gaza director, John Ging, said the agency would curtail its operations after two of its Palestinian workers were killed by crossfire, but insisted, "We are scaling back, we are not pulling back."
Hamas and Fatah have waged a sporadic power struggle since Hamas won parliament elections last year, ending four decades of Fatah rule. But the battles have worsened as Hamas waged a systematic assault on security forces to take over Gaza.
Fighting between the two factions, which nominally share power in the Palestinian government, spilled into the Fatah-dominated West Bank. Militants exchanged fire in the city of Nablus and a nearby refugee camp, after Fatah gunmen tried to storm a pro-Hamas TV production company. Hamas said 12 people of its fighters were wounded.
Abbas appealed by phone to Hamas' exiled leader in Syria, Khaled Mashaal, to end the violence.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri, said the clashes could have been avoided if Abbas had given the Hamas-led Cabinet control over the security forces, which he blamed for a wave of kidnappings, torture and violence in Gaza.
"The president bears complete responsibility for the current crisis," he said.
The mounting bloodshed touched off protests in two main Gaza towns.
Several hundred tribal leaders, women, children and Islamic Jihad militants turned out in Gaza City for a protest initiated by Egyptian mediators. Some demonstrators scattered after masked Hamas gunmen fired in the air, but others pushed on, carrying Palestinian flags and shouting, "Do not shoot" and "national unity" over a loudspeaker.
Witnesses said Hamas gunmen shot at the protesters as they approached the home of Fatah loyalists, trapping them.
Protester Bilal Qurashali said he saw a man shot in the head. "We are unable to get out. The place is closed," he said.
Health officials said one protester was killed and 14 others were injured by bullets and brought to the hospital in civilian cars because ambulances couldn't navigate the heavy fire.
Separately, Hamas gunmen opened fire from a high-rise building at about 1,000 protesters in Khan Younis, injuring one and breaking up the protest.
–––
Associated Press Writer Sarah El Deeb contributed to this report.