Troubles in Gaza

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Deadly in-fighting in Gaza

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May 8 - Three people die as fighting erupts in Gaza in the most serious internal strife since Hamas came to power.
Three gunmen died in the firefight between Fatah forces backing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas loyalists.
The street battles in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis broke out after Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas failed to resolve security disputes in talks at the weekend.

Stuart McDill reports.

SOUNDBITE: Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh saying (Arabic):
''We stress the necessity to protect Palestinian blood and end this tension immediately to protect national unity.''

SOUNDBITE: Maher Meqdad, Fatah saying (Arabic):
''What I can say to the Fatah members who were part of this fighting is to strengthen and to deal with this issue.''

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Gaza guns target each other Video

May 9 - Fatah and Hamas call for self-restraint following renewed gun battles in Gaza.

Nine people were wounded in a second day of clashes between gunmen from Fatah and Hamas in the most serious Palestinian internal strife since Hamas won power.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas reacted to the violence calling for restraint.
Stuart McDill reports.

SOUNDBITE: President Mahmoud Abbas saying (Arabic):

''Our battle now is to end the economic siege the Palestinian people are suffering from.'

'SOUNDBITE: Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh saying (Arabic):
''I called for an emergency meeting between the factions...to put an end to these sad acts.''


Gaza gun battle Video

May 9 - Senior Fatah official calls for self-restraint following renewed gun battles in Gaza.

Nine people were wounded in a second day of fighting between gunmen from President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh's Hamas on Tuesday (May 09), the most serious Palestinian internal strife since Hamas won power.

Three gunmen were killed on Monday (May 8) in clashes between the two factions, fuelled by a power struggle waged by Abbas and Haniyeh over control of security forces that has intensified Palestinian fears of a civil war.

Medics said four teenagers on their way to school were among the wounded in Tuesday's fighting. Gunmen and police were also among those hurt in Gaza City's Tuffah neighbourhood, they said.

The fighting subsided after about an hour, said Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri, whose militant Islamist group won parliamentary elections in January.

SOUNDBITE SENIOR FATAH OFFICIAL, SAMIR MASHARAWI SAYING, (Arabic):

"We in the Fatah movement still remain hopeful that people will exercise self-restraint as we have restrained ourselves. I don't think it's demanded of me or others when weapons come to my house to stand back with my hands tied. Despite that, we have exercised restraint and I praise God for this because every drop of Palestinian blood is sacred. The battle is against the occupation and those who besiege the Palestinian people. We are in need of a unified Palestinian stance and not the opposite. I think the basic national, moral question should be posed now to the Hamas movement and the Palestinian government."