Masked gunmen in Gaza kill senior Fatah militant

GAZA, Oct 22 (Reuters) Masked gunmen killed a senior Fatah militant in a Gaza Strip refugee camp today in what appeared to be another deadly episode of an increasingly violent power struggle with the governing Hamas movement.

Fatah blamed Hamas for the attack that killed Mohammed Shahadeh, commander of al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in the Bureij camp, and ordered its forces across the Gaza Strip to go on alert, Fatah officials said.

There was no immediate comment from Hamas.

At least 19 Palestinians have been killed this month in internal violence that has raised fears of civil war.

Gunmen wearing masks shot Shahadeh, who also serves in the Preventive Security service loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah, at the door to his home, residents and Fatah officials said. Residents said Fatah militants then torched several cars belonging to Hamas members.

In a meeting yesterday with Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, a Hamas leader, prominent Palestinians urged him to consider naming a cabinet made up of professionals to end a deadlock with Fatah over formation of a unity government.

The session was held a day after gunmen fired shots at Haniyeh's convoy. He was unhurt.

After the meeting, Haniyeh reaffirmed a commitment to try to build a unity cabinet with Abbas but did not say what shape such a government should take.

Abbas has hinted he might fire the Hamas-led administration or call for an emergency government made up of technocrats, academics or professionals which could persuade the United States and other countries to lift an economic ban.

Bassam Assalhi, one of the professionals who attended the meeting with Haniyeh, said: ''We stressed the first priority and choice is to form a government of national unity but if peace efforts (between Fatah and Hamas) falter then we think a government of national figures should be considered.'' The West cut off direct aid to the Palestinian government after Hamas, an Islamic militant group sworn to destroying Israel, beat Fatah to win a parliamentary vote in January. As a result, about 165,000 government workers have gone without pay.

The United States and other powers are pressuring Abbas to ensure any new Palestinian government rejects violence and recognises the Jewish state and past peace deals with it. Hamas has rejected the conditions.

In Israeli-Palestinian violence on Friday, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian civilian, medics said, as the army pressed on with a four-month-old offensive against militants launched after gunmen from Gaza abducted a soldier in Israel in June.

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