Palestinian internal dispute become worse 

Source: CCTV.com

10-23-2006 08:26

Tensions ran high in Gaza on Sunday, after a night of fighting between unpaid Palestinian security personnel and members of Hamas' private militia.

The fighting occurred early on Sunday near the Bureij and Nusseirat refugee camps in central Gaza. Security personnel were demonstrating to demand salaries on the eve of Eid al-Fitr -- a festival celebrating the end of Ramadan.

Battered by international sanctions, the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority has been largely unable to pay its 165-thousand civil servants since it came to power in March. So disgruntled security workers took to the streets blocked main roads and set tires ablaze. Hamas militia members tried to quell the protest.

During the violence, Mohammed Shahadeh, a well-known Fatah activist, was fatally shot outside his home. Later on Sunday, thousands were in attendance for Shahadeh's funeral procession at the Nusseirat refugee camp. Three other people, including one bystander, were wounded.

Also on Sunday, Fatah security forces shut down Gaza shops that had refused to close, a day before the festival. And, members of Fatah have vowed to escalate the unrest after the three-day celebration, which begins today.

Editor:Sun Luying