Israel Drawn Into Fatah-hamas Fighting

Hamas gunmen attacked rival Fatah forces at a Gaza-Israel border crossing, killing at least five people and drawing gunfire from nearby Israeli troops, Palestinian officials said today.

The attack was the deadliest incident in three days of factional fighting - despite a ceasefire announced on Sunday - and threatens to pull Israel into the latest wave of Palestinian infighting.

The Israeli army confirmed it had fired at a group of gunmen who approached the border, hitting at least one of them. Palestinian medical officials confirmed one person was killed.

As fighting in Gaza between rival Palestinian forces continued into a third day, Palestinian leaders were expected to renew their appeals for calm in speeches commemorating Naqba, a day of national mourning for what Palestinians describe as the tragedy that engulfed them when Israel became a state in 1948.

Late yesterday, Palestinian factions said they agreed to work to keep gunmen off Gaza's streets. But gun battles erupted within hours of the agreement. The death toll in three days of fighting has reached at least 14.

The upsurge in internecine fighting in the occupied territories threatens to break up a fragile coalition government announced in February under Saudi auspices.

The presidential guard, loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah, said Hamas gunmen had fired mortar bombs and rocket-propelled grenades at its compound at the Karni commercial crossing with Israel, wounding several people.

The ministry of interior and the bases of Hamas's executive force came under attack from gunmen firing assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades in assaults that Hamas blamed on Fatah.

Unable to win control of the security forces, the interior minister, Hani al-Qawasmi, an academic chosen by Hamas, resigned yesterday.

Officials said powerful Fatah rivals sought to undermine his efforts to gain control of the numerous armed contingents. His resignation raised new doubts about whether or not the new coalition government could survive.

"We are afraid that some people want to shoot the bullet of mercy against the Mecca agreement," a Fatah official Abdel-Hakim Awad told Reuters, referring to the coalition agreement announced in February. "We will work to prevent that. If it happened, it would bring a catastrophe to the internal situation and the area will sink in a bloodbath."

Relations between Fatah and Hamas have been tense since January 2006 when Hamas - which does not recognise Israel - swept to a surprise victory in parliamentary elections.

An ensuing economic boycott from the west following the Hamas victory has deepened the economic crisis in the occupied territories, exacerbating tensions between Hamas and Fatah.

On Sunday, Israel's security cabinet decided against a major military operation in Gaza after ministers met to decide how to respond to increased rocket fire from Gaza and the army's warnings that Hamas is stockpiling weapons.

However, the defence minister, Amir Peretz, said the army was given permission to step up targeted attacks against those firing rockets.