Seven killed and twenty-eight injured in inter-Palestinian clashes in Gaza on Tuesday

December 19, 2006

Gaza - Ma'an- A Palestinian member of the Hamas' Executive Force was killed and seven citizens injured when fierce clashes erupted between the forces and members of the intelligence department near Shifa'a hospital on Tuesday morning.

Palestinian medical sources said that 24 year old Ismail Abu Al Kheir was killed and seven Palestinians admitted to the hospital this morning.

The public relations director of the hospital, Dr. Juma Saqqa, said that the clashes left one killed and seven injured including a member in the intelligence department who is suffering serious injury.

A spokesman of the Executive Force, Islam Shahwan, said "a group of men from the Palestinian intelligence whom we identified, attacked the Executive Force, who guard the hospital. They launched a rocket propelled grenade at the guards killing one and injuring two others." He also confirmed that the intelligence abducted 22 year old Kayed Zant from the Executive Force.

Shahwan declared that the Executive Force will not be inactive and will retaliate for the killing of the man, especially as they were attacked while on duty guarding Palestinian institutions.

When asked why this breach occurred he said, "We called the intelligence department to return two members who were abducted earlier, but we were surprised that the Executive Force stationed at the hospital were attacked by the intelligence members."

The intelligence department spokesman said that, "One of our men fell down, resulting in his leg breaking, when he was transported to the hospital the Executive Force refused to let him in and held two members who accompanied him."

The spokesman added, "When we attempted to call one of the men to make sure that our member with the broken leg had been admitted to hospital we were responded to by the Executive Force guards who told us to come and take the two members. When our men arrived at the hospital the Executive Forces members started shooting at our men, resulting in the killing of the Executive Force member and a total of eight from both sides were injured."

The latest figure now stands at five Palestinians killed and more than twenty injured in various clashes in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday.

Medical sources said that clashes erupted between the Executive Forces and the intelligence department men and this resulted in the killing of Mohammad Kassab and Mohammad Harazin of the intelligence, the bodies arrived at the Shifa hospital two hours after they were kidnapped by unknown armed men.

The sources added that the number of wounded Palestinians reached 21, including 5 children who suffered moderate injuries.

Later, another two Palestinians were killed and seven wounded when clashes erupted in the Gaza City on Tuesday.

Medical sources said that many of the wounded were in critical condition including school pupils.

Ma'an learned that the killed Palestinians were Shadi Mohammad Tahir 25 from the intelligence department and Omar Nadir, in his twenties, from the national security.

On the same day unidentified armed men abducted three members of the general intelligence including a retired colonel in two separate incidents in Gaza City and took them to unknown location.

A Ma'an correspondent reported that the abducted colonel is Hammouda Saqqa from Gaza City.

Eyewitnesses said that anonymous armed men abducted two of the intelligence members in An Nasser neighbourhood near Oioun hospital.