The Islamic Hamas and the Palestinians' ruling Fatah party agreed early yesterday to end their recent round of armed clashes, which have taken place against the backdrop of Israel's planned Gaza Strip withdrawal.
Hours later, however, Hamas opened fire on the home of a top Palestinian security chief.
The clashes, coming as Israeli police confront their own opposition over the withdrawal, began last Friday, when two Palestinian teens were killed in a gunbattle. On Tuesday, the unrest led to Hamas offices torched by arsonists, wrecked cars and casualties on both sides.
Leaders of the two movements announced the accord at a news conference after midnight in Gaza City.
"We agreed to withdraw all armed forces from the streets of northern Gaza," local Hamas leader Mizar Rayyan said.
Barely two hours later, Hamas gunmen refused to stop at a Palestinian police roadblock in Gaza, and then opened fire on the homes of Palestinian police chief, Rashid Abu Shbak, and Fatah leader Abdullah Efrangi, said Soufian Abu Zaida, a Cabinet minister and top Fatah official.
Abu Zaida played down the incident, however, saying the situation was under control.
The tension is related to Palestinian rocket and mortar barrages against Israeli settlements in Gaza and towns just outside the territory, a month before Israel's scheduled pullout. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas wants to coordinate the pullout with Israel, while the militants prefer to step up attacks and claim credit for driving the Israelis out by force.
About 20km away in Israel, police were surrounding a farming village where several thousand Israeli opponents of the Gaza pullout were camping out for a second night, hoping to march on Gaza and reinforce settlers who plan to resist evacuation.
Police declared the gathering illegal but made no move to break it up, while insisting they would not allow the protesters into Gaza itself.
With control of Gaza after the pullout at stake, Abbas is trying to contain increasingly defiant Islamic militants.
Fatah unofficially asked its affiliated militant group, the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, to help fight Hamas as Abbas seeks to ensure a smooth Israeli pullout from Gaza settlements, Fatah and Al Aqsa members said.
Abbas said in Gaza on Monday that he still preferred negotiations to temper militants' behavior, but he has recently begun using force, keenly aware of Hamas' growing power after it won a series of regional elections.
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