Israel, Abbas Both Aim At Hamas

Israeli Missiles Destroy Van, Palestinian Police Battle Militants

(CBS/AP)  At least 25 people were wounded, including six policemen and 19 civilians, hospital officials said. It was not clear whether Hamas gunmen were hurt; the militants were not expected to take their activists to hospitals, for fear of arrest. One young man, his shirt bloodied, was carried away by a group of people.

After heavy exchanges of fire Friday morning, police pulled out of Zeitoun, while masked gunmen took up positions on street corners and rooftops. Hundreds of civilians were in the streets, watching the fighting.

If fighting spins out of control, it could endanger Abbas' rule and overshadow the planned Israeli withdrawal from Gaza next month. Israel has said it would not pull out of Gaza under fire.

The cease-fire was the main achievement of Abbas' rule. As long as it held, he was able to defend his policy of coopting the militants, rather than confronting them. However, with the truce increasingly shaky, he is increasingly being pushed to take action.

The confrontations between police and militants began in northern Gaza on Thursday evening, when police said they tried to stop a Hamas squad from firing rockets at nearby Israeli towns. A firefight erupted, and five Hamas militants were wounded.

In response, dozens of Hamas gunmen attacked a Palestinian police post in a different area, firing machine guns, hurling grenades and setting two police cruisers on fire.