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Gaza gunmen wound Egyptian mediator defying truce

15 May 2007 22:56:35 GMT
Source: Reuters

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An Israeli soldier refuels a tank on a military base near the Karni Crossing, Gaza's vital main commercial entry point into Israel, May 15, 2007. At least 11 Palestinians were killed on Tuesday -- eight in one incident -- in the deadliest fighting between Hamas and Fatah since the rivals formed a unity government to end bloodshed threatening to spill into civil war.
REUTERS/AMIR COHEN

Background

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By Nidal al-Mughrabi

GAZA, May 16 (Reuters) - Gunmen shot and wounded a top Egyptian official in Gaza on Wednesday as he tested whether a shaky ceasefire deal between feuding Fatah and Hamas loyalists was holding, a Palestinian security official said.

The Egyptian was shot in the hand as he walked along a Gaza street with the Palestinian cabinet secretary Ghazi Hamad of Hamas and a Fatah official, in a bid to see whether the armed rivals were sticking to the truce agreed on late Tuesday.

Taking the factional fighting into a fourth day, gunfire continued to echo through many Gaza streets for at least an hour beyond when the ceasefire, declared by Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh after the worst day of bloodshed in months, was to have taken effect.

The Egyptian was among a team involved in mediating the truce and trying to put an end to the fighting.

Egypt and Saudi Arabia have pressed Hamas and President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction to rein in their forces.

The sides have failed twice to observe truces that have been negotiated since the latest fighting erupted last Friday, killing at least 25 people.

At least 16 Palestinians were killed on Tuesday -- eight in one incident -- in the deadliest fighting between Hamas and Fatah since the rivals formed a unity government in March.

TRADING ACCUSATIONS

In the worst incident, Hamas gunmen killed eight members of Abbas's Presidential Guard in an attack near Karni Crossing, Gaza's main commercial entry point into Israel, Fatah sources said.

The Fatah-affiliated guardsmen were en route to help comrades under assault by Hamas at a training base near the crossing when Israeli forces across the frontier opened fire at them, according to Fatah spokesman, Tawfiq Abu Khoussa.

"Some of the vehicles overturned and some of the men were wounded. The forces retreated but they were ambushed by Hamas gunmen, who finished them off," he said.

Hamas's armed wing denied the allegation, blaming the deaths on Israel and accusing Fatah of killing one of its commanders earlier on Tuesday. The Israeli military said it had fired at two gunmen who approached the border fence, hitting one of them.

Raising tensions further, Hamas said one of its senior figures was "executed" at a checkpoint manned by Fatah fighters. Fatah had no immediate comment.

In an attempt to shift the focus of fighting towards Israel, gunmen fired a round of rockets at the town of Sderot, blowing part of the roof of one house and wounding four Israelis. Hamas claimed responsibility for the rocket fire.

Israel retaliated by aircraft fire into uninhabited areas of north Gaza, the army said. There were no reported casualties from that raid.

Israeli Defence Minister Amir Peretz had said Israel would try to avoid getting involved in the Gaza fighting, but the latest rocket attacks put new pressure on the Israeli government to step up its responses to rocket fire.

"Israel will not restrain itself forever ... we will choose the time and place to respond," Miri Eisin, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's spokeswoman, said on Tuesday.

Islamist Hamas and secular Fatah formed a unity government two months ago in a Saudi-brokered deal that failed to resolve the crucial issue of control over security forces, and left armed groups fighting deadly turf wars.

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Last updated:Tue May 15 22:57:55 2007