Gaza violence continues despite cease-fire

GAZA CITY – Masked Palestinian gunmen faced off in a series of street battles in Gaza City yesterday morning, but the level of factional violence had decreased markedly since warring groups agreed to a truce deal.

Despite the new attacks, Hamas officials said they remained hopeful that the cease-fire agreement would end the internal violence that has plagued Gaza for a week and stirred fears of an outbreak of civil war. “We are committed (to the truce), but we reserve the right of self-defence,” said Hamas official, Fawzi Barhoum.Under the truce deal announced late Sunday night – after a day of intense battles that killed three people – both Hamas and the rival Fatah group agreed to stop fighting and to remove their armed men from the streets.By yesterday morning, far fewer gunmen from both sides were seen patrolling the streets of Gaza City.But several gunfights continued to erupt, including a dawn shootout outside the residence of President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah.Hours later, about two dozen masked gunmen from the rival groups, armed with rifles, grenades and rocket launchers, faced off in a gunbattle in the middle of Gaza City in a battle that wounded a 16-year-old bystander, who was shot in the neck.Tensions between Hamas, which won January parliamentary elections, and Fatah, which controls the presidency, have repeatedly broken out in recent months, but the latest round of violence was the most ferocious.The fighting spiralled out of control after unknown gunmen killed the three young sons of a Fatah-allied security chief last week.Since then, Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas was shot at by unknown gunmen, the foreign minister’s convoy was also targeted and mortar shells were launched at Abbas’ Gaza office.Late Sunday, the bullet-riddled body of a top security officer affiliated with Fatah, Col.Adnan Rahmi, was discovered in northern Gaza hours after he disappeared, Palestinian medical officials and his family said.No group took responsibility, but Rahmi’s family blamed Hamas for the killing.Two other people were killed in the widespread fighting Sunday that paralysed downtown Gaza City.Nampa-AP”We are committed (to the truce), but we reserve the right of self-defence,” said Hamas official, Fawzi Barhoum.Under the truce deal announced late Sunday night – after a day of intense battles that killed three people – both Hamas and the rival Fatah group agreed to stop fighting and to remove their armed men from the streets.By yesterday morning, far fewer gunmen from both sides were seen patrolling the streets of Gaza City.But several gunfights continued to erupt, including a dawn shootout outside the residence of President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah.Hours later, about two dozen masked gunmen from the rival groups, armed with rifles, grenades and rocket launchers, faced off in a gunbattle in the middle of Gaza City in a battle that wounded a 16-year-old bystander, who was shot in the neck.Tensions between Hamas, which won January parliamentary elections, and Fatah, which controls the presidency, have repeatedly broken out in recent months, but the latest round of violence was the most ferocious.The fighting spiralled out of control after unknown gunmen killed the three young sons of a Fatah-allied security chief last week.Since then, Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas was shot at by unknown gunmen, the foreign minister’s convoy was also targeted and mortar shells were launched at Abbas’ Gaza office.Late Sunday, the bullet-riddled body of a top security officer affiliated with Fatah, Col.Adnan Rahmi, was discovered in northern Gaza hours after he disappeared, Palestinian medical officials and his family said.No group took responsibility, but Rahmi’s family blamed Hamas for the killing.Two other people were killed in the widespread fighting Sunday that paralysed downtown Gaza City.Nampa-AP