Grenade fired at PM's home as Gaza fighting rages

By Staff
|
Google Oneindia News

GAZA, June 12 (Reuters) Palestinian gunmen fired a rocket-propelled grenade at Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh's Gaza home today but he was unharmed as factional fighting raged for a fourth successive day, officials said.

Haniyeh is a leader of the Islamist Hamas group and the clashes have cast doubt on the future of a unity coalition he forged with President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction in March.

In other fighting on Tuesday, Hamas said gunmen had killed a member of its armed wing who was a nephew of one of its late leaders, Abdel Aziz-Rantissi, after abducting him.

It also accused Fatah of abducting a doctor and threatened to execute Fatah leaders if he was killed.

Fatah had no immediate comment on the attacks and accusations.

Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman, accused Fatah of firing the grenade in an attempt to assassinate Haniyeh and vowed to punish the perpetrators. The grenade ''penetrated the house and exploded'', he said. The building was damaged.

''Thank God there are no injuries,'' said Barhoum, confirming that Haniyeh was inside at the time. ''Hamas has decided to punish the attackers and the killers and it will not be reluctant to punish them without any mercy.'' It was the second time in as many days that Haniyeh had come under attack. yesterday, shots were fired at his office, interrupting a cabinet meeting but causing no casualties.

Fourteen people were killed in fighting yesterday, hospital officials said, raising the death toll since the latest round of fighting began on Saturday to 20.

Hamas and Fatah gunmen carried on clashing in the streets of Gaza City and in the northern Gaza Strip today, witnesses said.

Palestinian militants renewed rocket attacks on southern Israel, wounding an Israeli in the town of Sderot, an Israeli medic said.

The death toll in yesterday's fighting was one of the highest in the internal strife, in which some 630 Palestinians are estimated to have been killed since Hamas beat Fatah in elections 18 months ago.

The fighting doomed an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire announced yesterday.

Reuters SG DB1141

For Daily Alerts
Get Instant News Updates
Enable
x
Notification Settings X
Time Settings
Done
Clear Notification X
Do you want to clear all the notifications from your inbox?
Settings X
X