- Title: GAZA: : Bloodshed raises fears of all out civil war between Palestinians.
- Date: 14th December 2006
- Summary: (FLASH AT 0650 GMT) KHAN YOUNIS, GAZA (DECEMBER 13, 2006) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF BODY OF HAMAS JUDGE SHOT DEAD BY GUNMEN EXAMINED BY DOCTORS IN HOSPITAL VARIOUS OF BODY BEING WHEELED OUT OF HOSPITAL TO MORGUE
- Embargoed: 29th December 2006 12:00
- Keywords:
- Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement,Domestic Politics
- Reuters ID: LVAAHEM3ZGVS6VSCU6NUF4IIXS27
- Story Text: Unidentified gunmen dragged a judge from the Hamas Islamist movement out of a taxi and shot him dead in front of his courthouse in Gaza on Wednesday (December 13), increasing fears of a Palestinian civil war.
Officials from the governing Hamas faction said Bassam al-Fara, 28, was a judge in a civil court but also a member of the group's armed wing.
Witnesses who declined to be identified told Reuters at the scene the gunmen had eaten breakfast in a nearby restaurant in the town of Khan Younis while waiting for Fara to arrive. They shot him at point blank range after pulling him from the car.
Tensions and violence have spiralled in Gaza and the occupied West Bank between Hamas and the rival Fatah faction of moderate President Mahmoud Abbas after attempts to form a national unity government failed.
Some Abbas aides have said he might call early elections in a speech on Saturday (December 16) to break the deadlock and ease Western sanctions imposed on the government because of Hamas's refusal to recognise Israel and renounce violence.
But they said he would leave the door open to talks. Abbas, a cautious leader, is probably reluctant to stoke tensions with dramatic announcements at a time when emotions are running high.
Unrest has increased since the killing of three young sons of one of Abbas's top intelligence officials in Gaza on Monday (December 11).
No one claimed responsibility for the shooting of the judge. Hamas, which accuses Fatah of trying to topple its government, issued a statement blaming the killing on a Fatah "death squad".
Senior Hamas lawmaker Mushir al-Masri told Reuters Fatah were responsible for the chaos in the streets.
A Fatah spokesman, Tawfiq Abu Khoussa, criticised Hamas for blaming the once dominant faction.
In Khan Younis tyres were burnt in the streets as gunmen directed traffic.
At least 10,000 people marched in a funeral procession for Fara in the town.
Hamas activists vowed revenge, shouting: "The servants of darkness will be found, stepped on and crushed."
At a news conference after the funeral, Fara's widow told reporters, "He is a martyr, been killed by collaborators for Israel. They threatened him many times, last threat was yesterday and I heard them."
A spokesmen for the Palestinian ruling faction of Hamas on Wednesday (December 13) accused a group affiliated with Fatah of the killing of the judge and militant belonging to the Islamist group.
"We are saying that the information of the Islamic Movement Hamas investigation by Al-Qasam, that who is responsible for this criminal act is 'The Death Squad', they threatened our brother al-Fara many times before," said Hamas spokesman Ismail Rudwan during a news conference in Gaza City.
Officials from the governing Hamas faction said the 28 year old was a judge in a civil court but also a member of the group's armed wing.
Thousands of Hamas supporters rallied across Gaza on Wednesday in protest against the killing.
Unrest has increased since the killing of three young sons of one of Abbas's top intelligence officials in Gaza on Monday.
In Gaza City, hundreds of men, women and children held a symbolic funeral on Wednesday in the city centre to protest against the killing of the three children. The attack in Gaza City sparked protests across Gaza and the West Bank.
No one has claimed responsibility for the killings.
Abbas deployed Fatah security forces in Gaza as shops remained closed as part of a protest.
Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, a senior Hamas leader, criticised the deployment in Gaza of security forces affiliated to Abbas and said the movement's surprise election victory over Fatah in January should be accepted.
Earlier, some 2,000 Fatah gunmen marched to the president's Gaza City office and urged him to sack the government over the collapse in law and order. Before arriving, they blocked roads and fired automatic weapons into the air.
Besides internal political unrest, Gaza is riven with clan fighting and a surge in crime following the Western aid embargo that has deepened poverty. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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