One Palestinian hurt in Gaza parliament shooting

GAZA, Dec 9 (Reuters) A Palestinian parliamentary guard was wounded as demonstrators and parliamentary security guards exchanged fire at the Palestinian parliament building in Gaza City today, a Reuters witness said.

Some 1,400 uniformed police and other security officers demonstrating over the non payment of their salaries stormed into the parliament compound while some fired into the air as slogans were chanted from loudspeakers.

The condition of the parliamentary guard who was one of a number of men protecting a lawmaker from the governing Hamas Islamist group was not serious, local witnesses said.

Palestinian government employees have received either very little or no pay since Hamas swept to power in parliamentary elections last January.

Western donor nations to the Palestinian Authority have been withholding aid after Hamas rejected their demands that it recognise Israel, renounce violence and accept previous interim peace deals.

REUTERS AB VV1631