Free Republic

GAZA (Reuters) - At least 16 Palestinians were killed in fierce factional fighting in Gaza on Wednesday and Israel went into action with an air strike on a Hamas compound that killed at least four gunmen. Palestinian officials said the widening hostilities could bring down a two-month-old unity government formed between Hamas and President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah. Some Palestinians have said the government's collapse could lead to further violence and spell the end of the Palestinian Authority. The Israeli air strike flattened a building used by Hamas's Executive Force, but the army said the attack was not connected to internal...

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Hamas gunmen riddled a Fatah police jeep with gunfire at close range Tuesday, killing eight policemen in the most ruthless round yet of factional fighting, pushing the Palestinian unity government closer to collapse. Gunmen in black ski masks took up positions in the streets and terrified residents huddled in their homes. Israel, too, was briefly drawn into the battle. "I don't know when it's going to end and what the future will bring," said Salman Abu Arafeh, 42, a Gaza City interior decorator who was pinned down by gunfire in his apartment for hours, along...