Gaza fighting continues despite ceasefire deal

GAZA, Feb 4 (Reuters) Mortar bombs exploded near the Gaza offices of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas today and rival gunmen exchanged fire in the streets, ignoring another shaky truce in the factional war between Fatah and Hamas.

The fighting has brought life to a near-standstill for residents of the narrow coastal strip, home to 1.5 million Palestinians.

Some Gaza residents ventured onto the streets for the first time in days to find masked gunmen manning checkpoints and most stores closed despite the latest ceasefire deal.

''We pray to God that the fighting, which only served Israel, will stop once and for all,'' Abu Mohammad said, standing outside his Gaza City home.

A hospital official said two members of Abbas's presidential guard, a force that receives US-funded training and non-lethal equipment, died today from gunshot wounds suffered in fighting over the weekend.

The latest deaths raised to 27 the number of Palestinians killed in factional clashes in the last four days. Few expected the truce, announced yesterday, to last.

More than 80 Palestinians have been killed in the fighting since December, when unity government talks between the ruling Hamas movement and Abbas's Fatah faction broke down and the moderate president called for new elections.

Palestinians hoped a unity government would help ease a Western economic boycott of the Palestinian government.

At the urging of Saudi Arabia, Abbas and Hamas's political leader Khaled Meshaal will hold meetings in the holy Muslim city of Mecca on Tuesday to try to resolve their differences over the government.

Previous talks between the two ended without agreement.

CHECKPOINT At one of Gaza City's many checkpoints, one stopped driver shouted to another: ''It seems the (ceasefire) agreement last night melted by morning.'' Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said the Islamic group's gunmen were abiding by the truce. He accused Fatah of failing to withdraw its forces from the streets.

Tawfiq Abu Khoussa, a Fatah spokesman, accused Hamas of planting bombs on key roads and shooting from rooftops into a main security compound. Hamas denied firing mortar bombs near Abbas's office in Gaza. The explosions caused no injuries.

A nephew of Mohammad Dahlan, a powerful Fatah leader and a top security aide to Abbas, was abducted by gunmen over the weekend.

Dozens of loyalists from Fatah and Hamas have been taken hostage by the opposing side over the past few weeks.

Fatah and Hamas officials said further talks would be held today on implementing the terms of the truce.

The fighting has increased pressure on the ''Quartet'' of peace brokers -- the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia -- to make a fresh effort to revive West Asia peace talks.

Islamist group Hamas took control of the Palestinian government last March after beating Abbas's secular Fatah group in parliamentary elections.

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