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Advertisement | Fears Of A Palestinian Civil War GrowHeavy Fighting Between Hamas And Fatah Leaves Jordanian Diplomat Dead| Page 1 of 2 GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip, May 22, 2006 ![]() An armed Palestinian member of the new Hamas security force, right, patrols a street just in front of a group of Palestinian policemen on the outskirts of the Khan Younis refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip, May 22, 2006. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) (CBS/AP) Hamas militiamen and Palestinian police traded heavy fire near Gaza City's parliament building on Monday, killing an aide to the Jordanian ambassador in Gaza and wounding 11 people in the worst internal fighting in recent weeks. The battle turned downtown Gaza City into a war zone and was the most intense yet in a deepening power struggle, reports CBS News correspondent Robert Berger (audio). Tensions soared last week after Hamas deployed a unit of 3,000 militants to restore law and order. With two rival security forces patrolling the streets, there are growing fears of a Palestinian civil war. At one point, Hamas gunmen were holed up in two buildings under construction, hurling grenades and firing a rocket-propelled grenade at police. Other militants took up positions behind trees, cars and buildings, turning downtown Gaza into a battle zone. In other developments: Israel has withheld $55 million in monthly tax payments to the Palestinian Authority since Hamas took power. Now, Israel wants to bypass Hamas and funnel aid directly to the Palestinian people. The man killed in Gaza on Monday was identified as 55-year-old Khaled Radaida, an assistant to the Jordanian ambassador in Gaza. Three bullets hit the windshield of Radaida's vehicle, marked with Jordanian diplomatic license plates. Continued 1 |
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