Gaza gunmen (Archive)
Photo: AP
Gaza: 3 killed in clan clashes
Three people, including senior Hamas member, killed when violence erupts between rival clans; Hamas security forces interfere to contain violence. Palestinians fear violence will spread and evolve into interfactional Hamas-Fatah battle
Three Palestinians were killed Saturday morning in clashes between rival clans in Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip in the most intense violence since a coalition deal was reached this month between Fatah and Hamas factions.
An additional 15 people were wounded, four of them severely. The incident raises the death toll in intra-Palestinian violence over the past day to five.
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Witnesses said one of the victims was a senior Hamas member, Muhammad al-Galaban, 27, who was killed when members of the rival clan ambushed him.
Khazzam Karuwa, 22, a Fatah supporter, was killed a few hours later, and passerby Ismail Sabah, 75, was also killed in the crossfire.
Although the clashes erupted due to family rivalries, Palestinians in Gaza expressed concern that they would develop into renewed violence between the Hamas and Fatah factions. At present, Hamas was holding the family – and not Fatah – responsible for the Hamas official’s death.
Saturday’s clashes were the most intense violence in Gaza since the leading factions reached a coalition government deal in Mecca roughly two weeks ago.
Hamas security forces arrested seven members of the Fatah-affiliated clan and managed to contain the violence. However, their involvement stepped up the tensions and inflated fears that the row would evolve into political infighting.
Roughly 130 people were killed in the Gaza Strip in interfactional violence until the Mecca deal was signed.
News agencies contributed to the report
