Gaza death toll at 26 as clashes continue

VIDEO - Despite immense pressure from Arab states there appeared to be no end in sight of the escalating violence which ran rampant throughout Gaza on Sunday. Now entering their fourth day of deadly clashes Hamas and Fatah gunmen continued to battle, leaving six dead, 20 wounded and numerous others kidnapped. Among those kidnapped was Brigadier General Sayyed Shabban, the head of National Security Forces in central Gaza, who was abducted by gunmen loyal to Hamas. Shabban, the most senior official from either side to have been abducted so far, was later released by his captors. Unknown gunmen also kidnapped two teenage children of a Fatah colonel and threatened to kill them unless all Hamas abductees were released. Gunbattles between the warring factions centered around Khan Younis in southern Gaza and the Sajaiya neighborhood in Gaza city. Gunmen also exchanged fire throughout northern Gaza. The violence also spread to the West Bank, where about 15 Fatah gunmen stormed into a West Bank bank and abducted a local Hamas leader, witnesses said. Egypt, Saudis offer help In an effort to end the fighting PM Ismail Haniyeh agreed to take a meeting with an Egyptian security delegation trying to mediate between Hamas and Fatah. PA Foreign Affairs Minister Mahmoud a-Zahar and Internal Affairs Minister Said Siam, who Fatah personally blames for the recent deterioration of the situation in Gaza, were also in attendance. The Egyptian delegation passed on a message from the Egypt's intelligence chief Omar Suliman, asking both sides to lay down their arms. The Egyptian delegation also met with representatives from Fatah, as well as from other movements. The Egyptians are not the only ones working hard to end the violence as Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah issued an invitation on Sunday for leaders from both sides to hold reconciliatory talks in Mecca. Haniyeh and Abbas have both accepted the offer, though no further details are currently known. "I invite them all ... for an urgent meeting in brotherly Saudi Arabia at the sacred house of God (Mecca's Grand Mosque) to discuss disputes in a neutral (environment) without intervention from any other side," the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) quoted King Abdullah as saying in his open letter. In the meantime, Hamas continues to blame Fatah for attempting to launch a revolution against its popularly-elected government. PM Haniyeh called on Palestinians to stop the internal fighting. At the opening of a Palestinian government meeting, he said: "I have asked again and again and again. Stop this war. Stop the violence, preserve national unity." News agencies contributed to this report

Gaza death toll at 26 as clashes continue

Fourth day of infighting claims lives of six Palestinians as feud expands to West Bank. High-ranking officials on both sides continue to be kidnapped as Egypt, Saudi Arabia play mediators in bid to end violence