Posted on 06/10/2006 11:05:51 AM PDT by Flavius
GAZA, June 10 (Reuters) - Gunmen shot dead a Palestinian security officer loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday in an attack his comrades blamed on the rival Hamas group.
A gun battle between members of the Preventive Security Service and Hamas militants later erupted at the funeral of Major Basim al-Qutub and witnesses said at least three people were wounded in an incident involving a top security chief.
Inter-factional fighting has become commonplace in the Gaza Strip since Hamas, an Islamic militant group dedicated to Israel's destruction, assumed power after crushing Abbas's long-dominant Fatah faction in a January election.
Preventive Security, which backs Abbas, said Hamas gunmen had tried to abduct Qutub in Gaza City and then killed him when the kidnapping failed. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri denied the allegations.
Rashid Abu Shbak, an Abbas loyalist in charge of internal security in the Palestinian Authority, attended Qutub's funeral, and two of his bodyguards were among the wounded.
Security sources accused Hamas gunmen of opening fire at the funeral when Abu Shbak's convoy passed members of a Hamas-led police force, whose creation Abbas opposed.
They said Abu Shbak was not harmed and was escorted safely out of the area. Hamas denied firing fir
Old style politics!
Almost makes me want to send arms and ammo to the palislimeians!.......... NOT!!
The funny thing is that this whole episode is Israel's fault, somehow.
Yep. I've said many times before that a civil war is the best thing that could happen there. Let them kill each other until they're sick of violence or there's nobody left alive. Either outcome would be A-OK with me.
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