CINA

Palestinians report Hamas gunmen attacked Presidential Guard's training camp near Karni crossing, with rising death toll. Eyewitnesses say many killed and injured, some by IDF fire. Fatah accuses Hamas of planning military coup

In the latest bout of infighting between Fatah and Hamas in Gaza on Tuesday, the death toll has risen to eleven, with Hamas apparently settling in for an exhaustive conflict. 

Armed Hamas forced recently surrounded a Palestinian police center in northern Jabalia, while other armed Hamas forces barricaded themselves inside Gaza's Islamic University.  Hamas officials warned that if the university is attacked, even "the house of (Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas) will not be safe."

Earlier in the day, Hamas gunmen attacked a Palestinian Presidential Guard's training camp near the Karni crossing.  Eight people were killed and 20 were injured in the original attack. Another Palestinian officer who escaped toward the border fence was shot to death by IDF soldiers.

  
Hamas accused IDF soldiers of assisting the Presidential Guard officers. The officials said the Israeli army allowed a number of Fatah affiliated security officers to enter its territory to escape from a Hamas attacks. A Palestinian security official denied the report.

Fatah officials blamed both Hamas and the IDF for the incident, claiming that Hamas was planning a military coup in the Palestinian Authority.

 
The crossing, which is one of the Presidential Guard's main posts in the Gaza Strip and is also used as a Fatah training camp, was closed due to the exchanges of fire.

According to the reports, Hamas member attacked the post using mortar shells and then executed some of the Fatah members.

 
Three of shells landed on Israeli territory near Kibbutz Nahal Oz. There were no reports of injuries, but the shells caused slight damage.

Hamas members claimed that all the Palestinians killed in the incident were hit by an IDF shell. Army officials denied the accusation. Hamas said it would respond to the incident by firing Qassam rockets at Israel.

Hamas officials said that the attack was a response to the killing of Ibrahim Maniyeh, the commander of the organization's military wing in the Sajaiyah neighborhood located near the crossing.

Palestinians reported that all the men killed in the attack were members of the Palestinian Presidential Guard.

 
As for the Palestinian killed by IDF fire, the army reported that soldiers had spotted two suspicious Palestinians near the border fence, south of the Karni crossing. The force shot at them and hit them.

IDF sources confirmed that the two were apparently Palestinian police officers who fled the attacked post, but said that when the incident happened the troops suspected they were gunmen approaching the border fence.

The attack was carried out despite the great efforts exerted Monday night by Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to end the infighting between the rival Fatah and Hamas factions.

 
The attack proved once again that the Palestinian prime minister's had very limited control over his organization's military wing.

Due to the escalation in Gaza, universities in the Strip did not resume classes for the second day in a row. A Palestinian parliament session scheduled to take place Tuesday was cancelled.

 
The Karni crossing incident came after a long period of time in which the crossing had operated with almost no interruptions. The District Coordination Office (DCO) reported of a significant rise in the exports and imports of goods from and to Gaza, leading to a slight improvement in the Palestinian economy.

 
The IDF is looking into the clashes at the crossing. Security sources noted that Hamas was attempting to get Israel involved in the internal conflict by spreading testimonies that Israel allegedly helped Fatah.

The army will hold discussions on the future of the Karni crossing and will decide whether to reopen it on Wednesday. Military officials said that Hamas' takeover of posts located near the crossing could constitute a security risk.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3400140,00.html

For more please read:

☞ Hamas kills eight in attack on Fatah jeep.. (Haaretz)

☞ Fatah claims Hamas ambush on camp (al-Jazeera)

☞ Mubarak to Palestinians: You have crossed the line (Ynet)

☞ Bloody infighting leaves Gaza a ghost town

BTW: "UNITY IS OUR WEAPON" AGAINST...(whatever)^^

Wednesday, 5.16 (update)

 
Of course also today "the beat goes on".. BTW, it seems that it's not enough when the rival factions are killing each other during battles, sometimes the survivors were/are just executed..

 
Anyway.. here the latest developments:

 
PA official: Abbas may announce state of emergency (12:15 CET)

Palestinian deputy-prime minister, Azzam Al-Ahmad, said Wednesday that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas may announce a state of emergency if clashes in the Gaza Strip continued. The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee is expected to meet within the hour to discuss the situation. Meanwhile, Committee Chairman Yasser Abed Rabbo, called on Gaza residents to rebel until Hamas militias are dismantled.

7 killed in Israeli air strike at Hamas building (13:05 CET)

Israeli army helicopters fired missiles Wednesday afternoon at a Hamas building in the southern Gaza Strip, killing seven members of the Islamic group and wounding 10 others. The army said the building situated in Rafah along the border with Egypt was used by Hamas to plan terror attacks 

Abbas, Mashaal agree to end violence in Gaza (13:30 CET)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and exiled Hamas politburo chief Khaled Mashaal, reached an agreement on Wednesday to stop the violence between the factions in the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian Information Minister Dr. Mustafa Barghouti. Fourteen Fatah and Hamas members were killed in Gaza on Wednesday, raising the death toll in the city to 40. (AFP)

☞ Hamas mistakenly kills 5 of own fighters (13:35 CET)  

Mortar shells fall near Abbas compound in Gaza (14:25 CET)

At least two mortar shells fell on Wednesday near the compound of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Gaza City, Palestinian sources said. Eyewitnesses said a handful of bystanders were lightly injured. Abbas, who resides in Ramallah, is expected to arrive in Gaza tomorrow in an attempt to ease tensions between his Fatah group and Hamas

Palestinians rally to end fighting, 8 wounded (15:00 CET) 

Dozens of Gaza residents turned out for a rally on Wednesday to demand an end to factional fighting, only to be caught in crossfire that wounded eight of them.
“Just as we used to protect you from the occupation by acting as human shields, we have come to protect you from yourselves,” one protester shouted at gunmen, referring to instances when Palestinian civilians positioned themselves between militants and Israeli forces. (Reuters) 

etc, etc...

Read also:
☞ IAF hits Hamas Gaza HQ as 10 Qassam rockets hit Israel (Haaretz)

☞ At least 13 dead as Hamas-Fatah clashes rage in Gaza Strip

☞ Solution for PA anarchy (Yedioth Ahronoth)