Three Palestinians were killed early Monday in clashes in southern Gaza Strip between Hamas and Fatah activists, sources conveyed. Two members of Fatah and one from Hamas died in the clash near the town of Khan Younis.
They started after Hamas and Fatah accused each other of kidnapping their members. Hamas claimed three members of its armed wing were abducted by Fatah activists. Soon after, Hamas fighters nabbed four members of Fatah.
Later, a Hamas man was shot dead on his way to a mosque. Hamas fighters then fired back with an anti-tank rocket, killing two Fatah members.
For its part, the PA government expressed utmost distress for the "sorrowful incidents" and called on all to be calm and rationale. It advocated swift action through the cooperation of all concerned parties to contain the incidents, and pointed out that premier Ismail Haneyya had ordered the concerned authorities to control security and enforce discipline in the area and to solve the root causes of the problem.
The premier added that law must be respected and should be the arbitrator in resolving disputes, according to the statement.
