World

Hamas Causes Chaos At Gaza Border

December 14, 2006 / 5:23 PM EST / CBS/AP

Hamas militants, angry that Israel was preventing Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh from returning to Gaza with millions of dollars in cash, burst into the Rafah border terminal twice Thursday, sparking gun battles with guards before taking control of the crossing.

Between the two attacks, Israel cleared the way for Haniyeh to return after he turned over the money to Egyptian authorities, reports CBS News correspondent Robert Berger, but a new gun battle erupted between Hamas on one side and Egyptian police and the Fatah presidential guards on the other.

The Hamas militants also went on a rampage inside the building, destroying computers and furniture inside and plunging the area into darkness, the witnesses said.

In other developments:

Israel's Supreme Court has ruled that some targeted killings of Palestinian militants are legal under international law, reports

. The ruling gives partial legitimacy to a practice widely used by the Israeli air force, but which has been condemned by human rights groups and the European Union. The court ruled that Israel has the right to defend itself against terrorism, but should avoid targeted killings when there is a high chance of civilian casualties.

Palestinian intelligence officers trying to arrest a wanted man from the ruling Islamic militant group Hamas came under a hail of gunfire in a Gaza City. The man is believed to be connected to the killing of three children of an intelligence commander from the rival Fatah faction on Monday. He was arrested despite the gunfire, sparking calls for revenge. There are growing fears of a civil war in Gaza, after a wave of tit-for-tat attacks.

Israelis already were insulted by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter's new book, "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid," reports

, and now, Mr. Carter has brought the message directly to Israel. "Taking away from them their land by occupation, by confiscation and by colonization, all have the same connotations as apartheid in South Africa," the former president said in an Israeli television interview.

Haniyeh, of Hamas, cut short a lengthy trip abroad to return to Gaza to try to quell growing internal tensions between his Hamas group and its rivals in Fatah. But Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz ordered the border closed Thursday to prevent him from bringing in tens of millions of dollars he raised abroad for his cash-strapped government, Israeli security officials said.

Under an agreement signed a year ago, Israel does not have the right to close the border, but it has used the threat of military action to force the border to close repeatedly in recent months.

The border crossing had been closed for a week before reopening Wednesday.

Haniyeh's government has been badly crippled by international economic sanctions that have left it unable to pay full salaries to its 165,000 workers. Top Hamas officials have recently smuggled millions of dollars over the border to help keep the government afloat.

A Palestinian official said Haniyeh was carrying $35 million he raised during his recent trip, which included stops in Syria and Iran. Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, a mediator between Israel and the Palestinians, was talking to Israeli officials to arrange Haniyeh's return, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter with the media.

Hamas militants waiting outside the terminal grew impatient waiting for Haniyeh's return and broke into the compound, shooting in the air. The Palestinian Presidential Guard, responsible for security at the terminal, began firing at them, according to an Associated Press journalist at the terminal.

Travelers in the terminal lobby ran for cover, some carrying their luggage. Women and children hid behind walls and nearby taxis outside. Two Hamas militants were wounded in the gunfight.

The Hamas militants, chanting "God is Great, let's liberate this place" took over the arrival hall, and the border guards escorted the European monitors to safety.

"There is chaos here," said Wael Dahab, a spokesman for the Presidential Guard.

Hamas radio called on people in southern Gaza to head to the border to "break the siege" on Haniyeh. About 15,000 Hamas supporters gathered at the gate to the terminal, some of them firing in the air, in protest until Haniyeh's return.

Haniyeh aide Ahmed Yousef ran into the terminal to try to persuade the gunmen to leave.

"To all the Hamas masses who came here, please get out of the crossing and wait for the prime minister to come to the other side," he said.

Most of the Hamas militants left the terminal, but several hundred remained inside.

Maria Telleria, spokeswoman for the EU monitoring mission, said all 16 monitors were safely evacuated and the border would remain closed Thursday.

"Now it is dark, the monitors will not be coming back," she said. "But I don't know what is going to happen tomorrow."