Clashes between rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah were renewed Monday in the northern Gaza Strip as unknown assailants abducted 12 Hamas members and four from Fatah, security sources said.
All the kidnapped men were later released after both sides agreed to swap captives, sources from the groups said.
The clashes in the Jebaliya refugee camp near Gaza City broke a weeklong pause in the violent confrontation between the two sides. The kidnappings Monday sparked gunbattles between the factions, which wounded three Palestinians caught in the crossfire, including a boy, Palestinian rescue workers said, according to the AP.
In a separate incident, Palestinian gunmen kidnapped a Peruvian photographer working for AFP in the Gaza Strip on Monday, Agence France-Presse and Palestinian security sources said. Security officials said the kidnapping happened outside the AFP office in Gaza.
